Dead to the World
by ShelbieJames
Summary: Set just after the first prison break. What happens when Michael comes home to the girl he left behind? What secrets will be revealed?
1. Chapter 1

**I'm starting to rewrite and reedit this story to try and make it a little better. For some reason, took out a lot of line breaks and made all my italicized flashbacks regular type. So it was a big jumbled mess. **

**Here's the first new chapter! I combined chapter one and chapter two to condense it and added a smidge more to the story itself.**

* * *

The finger that dialed information was steady and strong, but the face attached was etched with hesitation.

"Information. How may I help you?" A woman's voice answered.

"I'd like the number and address for Abigail Houston, please. New York State."

Silence enveloped the phone booth as the operator looked up the number, "Ok, we have an Abigail P. Houston from Buffalo, an Abigail R. Houston from New York City, and an Abigail L. Houston from Albany. Do you know the middle initial?"

The voice answered with relief, "Abigail P. from Buffalo."

* * *

I wiped the table off and threw the rag down on the counter, "If I have to clean up another spilled beer, I swear to god I'm quitting." I muttered to myself. There was a bachelorette party that had made their way through the diner after, what I assumed to be, a raucous night out at the bars. Our diner didn't even have a liquor permit, but as long as you were pretty and had nice breasts, Terry let you do whatever you wanted. Terry Caller was the owner of the diner and the definition of a sexist pig at its finest.

Needless to say, Terry had never allowed ME to drink liquor there. Not that I drank anyway, but it would have been nice of him to just _offer._

Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty enough I guess. I worked with what I've got to my advantage. In the past, that used to come in handy.

My name's Abigail, Abbie to my friends. I'm 28 years old, on the short and skinny side and long brown hair. I'd say on a scale of 1 to 10, I was maybe a 6 and a half. Not ugly, but a little nicer than plain. Of course, I look a lot nicer when I'm not covered in spilt Corona's.

After I took the trash out, I undid my apron and shoved it in my backpack, "I'm done, Terry! I'm heading home!" I yelled into the office as I walked by. I pulled my coat on and fumbled for my keys with numb fingers, "Damn snow." Finally fumbling them out of the bottom of the bag, I looked up towards my car.

My breath caught in my throat as I saw who was leaned up against it.

"Michael..."

* * *

_flashback to eight months earlier_

_"Abigail, hurry up and get back to work!" Terry yelled at me from outside the break room door._

_Annoyed, I hollered back, "I've got five minutes left on my break! Just let me finish the damn paper!"_

_"Asshole." I mumbled under my breath. He always wanted me to come back from my breaks early and I usually did just so I didn't rock the boat. But today I was hungry and I tired and I wanted all fifteen minutes off my feet._

_I turned the page over and read the headline, 'Prominent Chicago Architect Robs Bank'. As I read the story, my heart sunk lower into my chest, "Oh Michael, what did you do?" The more I read, the more I wanted to throw up. This had to be a mistake. There was no possible way this could be real._

* * *

"We need to talk."

I raised an eyebrow at him. The first time in more than two years that I hear his voice and I don't even get a hello, an explanation, a god damned good to see you?

"What makes you think I won't call the police on you? After all, you are an escaped convict." I asked him.

He grimaced, "Because I know you. You don't want me to go back to jail."

I narrowed my eyes at him, "I never wanted you to go to jail in the first place."

"Yeah, well sometimes things happen that you never expected," he grumbled at me. I closed my eyes, knowing exactly what he meant.

Straightening up, I gathered my self-control knowing how my next comment would set him off. Might as well get everything out in the open now so I could go home and forget this night ever happened. "Why'd you do it Michael? Why did you ruin your life like that? You were better than that."

"You mean better than you?" He asked, coolly.

Recoiling, I wanted to smack him, "Of course you were better than me. We both knew that."

He lowered his eyes and I knew he was regretting his answer, "I'm sorry, Abbie. I didn't mean that. I just meant that all the times you were put in jail, I didn't completely cut you out of my life. I was always there for you."

"That was different and you know it! Because that was who I was, Michael! Do you really think I wanted to sleep out on the streets in two feet of snow when I could have a warm bed and food to eat? That's how we survived!" He backed up, hearing the word 'we' and I knew what he was thinking.

Trying to keep his voice even, he said with his jaw clenched, "He's fine you know. Him and LJ made it to Mexico."

I rolled my eyes and let out a bitter laugh, "Mike, do you really think that Lincoln would bust out of jail and _not _contact me?"

He smirked, "I bet you enjoyed that, didn't you? Reunited with the love of your life after so long. Touching. Someone call the Lifetime channel."

I could feel my anger building up the whole time he was talking, "Goddammit, Scofield. Do you really want to get in this now? I never even got to SEE Lincoln. He called me the day after the escape to tell me he was coming up to Buffalo. About ten hours later a bunch of guys in suits showed up on my doorstep and threatened me. The next time he called I told him not to come and to just let me know when he was safe.

"You were threatened? What did they say to you?" He growled, angrily.

"What do you care? They basically told me that if I was lying or hiding anything from them that I'd regret it. You should have known better than to come here. How did you even know how to find me?" I wondered.

"I got your number from information. When I called your house your roommate told me where you worked." He answered, guiltily.

Confused, I asked, "My roommate?"

"Well, it was a woman. Did you become change lifestyles in the last two years?" He answered.

I laughed, figuring out whom he was referring to as my roommate, "That's my neighbor, you ass. She takes care of... things... while I'm gone." I sighed, knowing this small talk could only go on for so long without delving into personal territory. I gave him a once-over, knowing he was freezing, clad in only a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt. He would need to get out of the snow soon, "What are you doing here? What do you want?"

He hesitated, "I missed you, Abbie. I haven't seen you or heard from you in two years. I couldn't just come out and ask Lincoln if he knew where you was or how you were doing."

"I wrote him a few times," I said, slowly, "That's probably how the suits got my address."

"And you couldn't even spare ten minutes to write me and let me know how you were? Did you not think I would care?" He asked, pain dripping from his words.

"I just wanted to make sure he was doing ok. My heart broke for him when I found out he was going to be sentenced to death. I wanted him to know that I believed in him."

His mouth tightened, "And what did you feel when you found out I was arrested?"

"The same thing I felt the last time I talked to you, 'what a selfish bastard'. I knew you were planning something. Michael the Martyr, always having to bail out his loser of a brother." I spat at him.

He looked at me, hurt, "Abbie, Lincoln's innocent."

I looked at him, incredulously, "I knew that the moment I heard on the news. Of course he's innocent! Linc's a criminal, but he's no murderer. The question is, did you know he was set up or did you automatically believe your brother killed a man?"

He looked away and I knew the answer, "God, Mike, Lincoln adores you. He would do anything for you and you couldn't even have faith in him the one time he really needs his brother behind him. You never gave two shits about him. All he ever was to you was a liability, a hindrance to your success. Was that what I was to you? A liability? You were probably all set to let him rot in prison until they killed him."

"God Abbie," he choked out, "I did the right thing. Why do you hate me so much? If I'm that horrible a person and you hate me so deeply, why don't you just call the police right now?"

I saw his hands trembling and I softened. This wasn't how I wanted our first conversation in so long to go. I took a step closer to him, "For your own safety, stay away from me. They're probably watching my house and I really don't want you to go back to jail." I grabbed his hand and pulled him close to me, "I'll never hate you, Michael." I whispered in his ear. "I didn't hate you then and I don't hate you now. But if you staying safe means staying away from me, then just forget me."

Even though it was freezing out, his breath felt like fire against my neck, "I could never forget you, Abbie." He wrapped his fingers in my hair and pulled my face up to look at him. He slowly leaned towards me as my breath caught in my throat.

Oh god, if he kisses me I don't know if I can control myself, I thought worriedly.

Just as his lips were about to touch mine, he veered his head to the side and kissed me on my jawline. He slowly made his way down to my neck and moved his hands from my hair to my back, pulling me in even closer to him.

This is even worse than kissing, this is _torture... _He knew exactly what he was doing to me.

I closed my eyes and with what little strength I could muster, managed to push him away from me, "You have to go." I saw that he was about to protest and I knew what needed to be done to get him to understand. I gathered my control and said icily, "I want you to leave."

He immediately dropped his hands from my waist and stepped back, "Abbie, you don't mean this. I..."

I jumped around him while he was talking and threw myself in my car, slamming the door behind me. As fast as I could, I started it up and drove away. I watched him get smaller in my rearview mirror and let out a ragged breath. I realized I had stopped breathing the second he touched me. All this time and he still had that control over me.


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's the new and improved Chapter Two, which is actually the old versions Chapter Three and Four put together. I also wanted to clarify that all the flashbacks in the story are not chronological. They all take places at different times in their relationship, some in the beginning, some in the later days and I have a couple before their relationship started at all. I originally wanted this whole story to be half flashbacks and half present, so there's a lot of them. All flashbacks will be in italics.**

* * *

The next day was Thursday, my only full day off during the week. I usually took Grayson out to the park or to a museum, but with the weather being near freezing and _him_ probably lurking outside, I decided to spend the day inside with my son.

Grayson is my only reason for living, the only thing that's helped me stay on the straight and narrow. He is only a couple months away from turning two and he is the most gorgeous baby I've had the chance to lay eyes on. His hair was jet black and curling down past his ears and he had the most beautiful bright blue eyes.

We stayed in the house together all day. In the morning I fixed him pancakes and we colored a birthday card for my baby-sitter, Mrs. Peters, for the following week. After lunch, he laid down in his bed for a nap. I kissed his soft hand and whispered how much I loved him. I would die to protect him.

After he fell asleep, I was sitting on the couch trying to work on my English homework when the phone range. Without thinking, I absentmindedly picked it up, "Hello?"

"Abbie?" my eyes widened as I realized who had called me and I mentally slapped myself for not thinking of it quicker. "Please don't hang up on me." The voice continued.

"What do you want, Mike? I'm a little busy right now."

"I'm sorry, I just… I just wanted to hear your voice again. Will you please talk to me now?" He asked, nervously. "Please." He repeated, plaintively.

I knew that in person I would turn into a quivering bowl of jelly if he were near me, but on the phone, I could exhibit a little more self-control.

"You have five minutes. What do you want to talk about? I asked, coolly.

"I wanted to know why you never tried to contact me. I know that things ended… badly… the last time we saw each other, but I just can't wrap my head around why you wouldn't even let me know if you were ok. Or to even tell Lincoln to pass it along."

I closed my eyes, trying to summon the courage to speak, "I wanted you out of my life, Michael. Simple as that."

There was silence on the other end as I let him absorb that. "Tell me that to my face, Abigail."

My eyes widened in surprise, "No! I told you I want you out of my life! Please respect that."

"I will. If you can tell me that to my face. Tell me you feel nothing for me and that you never want to see me again and I'll leave and never look back." He promised.

Did I have the strength to do that? I don't know, but I was willing to wager the answer was no.

"Fine. There's a parking garage about two miles from my house. It's called Eastman's. Meet me on the bottom level at eight tonight." Well, I was going to have to try, apparently.

"Why so late?"

I looked over at the picture of Grayson on the wall. I couldn't tell him that I had a son to put to bed, "I have… prior commitments. Take it or leave it, Scofield."

I heard him laugh into the phone, "I'll take it, Houston. See you at eight."

And with that, the line went dead.

* * *

_flashback_

_I beat on the door as hard as I could, "Come on, Mike, open the damn door!"_

_He finally opened it, wide-eyed, "Abbie? What's wrong?" he asked as I pushed him out of the way and slammed the door shut, locking and dead bolting it._

_I leaned over, my hands on my knees, "Looking… Lincoln… Cops… Chase…" I panted out._

"_They were chasing you? Are you in trouble?"_

_I managed to shake my head, "Lincoln robbed a gas station… I wasn't there, but the clerk recognized him and said told him where we lived." _

_He put his hand out to help me up, "So you had nothing to do with it?" he asked._

_I glared up at him, "You say that like you don't believe it. I may snatch some purses, but I don't rob people at gunpoint. I didn't even know he was going to do it. He called and warned me after it went south so I took off running."_

"_And what made you decide to come here?" he asked, warily._

_I smiled and strolled past him to his refrigerator, "Where else would I get free ice cream and lodging at, Mr. Scofield?"_

_He rolled his eyes and followed me into the kitchen. "Your boyfriend just robbed a gas station and now you're running from the cops and all you care about is __**ice cream**__?" _

_I smiled and handed him a spoon, "I'm willing to share." I grabbed his hand and pulled him to the couch with me, "I'm not going to be able to go home for a little while, so what's our viewing pleasure tonight?"_

_He laughed and sat beside me, scooping a spoonful of ice cream to his mouth. "Whatever you want, Abbie. You're happy, I'm happy."_

* * *

Later that evening, I put Grayson to bed and left my house, waving good-bye to Mrs. Peters. I started my car and sat for a moment, collecting my thoughts, while I waited for my car to heat up.

Who did he think he was, giving me an ultimatum like that? I didn't owe him anything. My conscience slapped me hard across the face at that thought. _You owe him the truth, Abbie_, it screamed at me. Michael had done me no wrong. He accepted me without fault, no questions asked, and the one time he did ever ask anything of me, I pushed him away. I made him hate me and I did it without looking back.

* * *

_Flashback_

_"Abbie?"_

_"Hmmm?" I asked, running my hands sleepily over his chest._

_He entwined my hand in his, pausing to brush my hair over my shoulder. "I'd like you to do something for me."_

_I smiled at him, "I'd do anything for you."_

_He hesitated for a moment, lines etching his forehead. I pulled myself up to face him, "What's wrong, Michael?"_

_"I want you to tell him," Was his simple reply._

_"What?" Immediately, I pushed myself off of him and stood up, gathering my clothes. He had some nerve. "You want me to tell Lincoln that I've been sleeping around on him with his brother? Are you crazy? That's the LAST thing I will ever do!"_

_He jumped up and wrapped his arms around my waist, trying to pull me in close to him, "Wait, Abbie, please. Just hear me out."_

_I stopped and crossed my arms over my chest, "Two minutes, Scofield."_

_"This isn't fair to him and you know it. No matter what ignorant schemes he's done in his lifetime, he doesn't deserve this." I nodded, closing my eyes. Lincoln was, for all his criminal tendencies, a great guy. He was trying to pull himself out of all the problems he had, he loved me endlessly and he adored his son more than anything in the world._

_But I didn't want to be the one to break his heart. Not after what all he'd done for me.  
_

_"If I tell him that we've been seeing each other, he'll crack, Michael. He's been trying so hard to fix his mistakes and I don't want to hurt him." I managed to say. "He'll never pull his life around."  
_

_He rested his head against mine and ran his arms up my sides to my face, "Abbie, I don't want to hurt Lincoln any more than you do, you know that. But I don't want to hurt myself, either. I don't like watching you leave every night and go home to him. I want you to stay here." He softly kissed my lips, "With me."_

_I looked up at him, breathing painfully at the pain in his eyes. I wanted nothing more than to shout to the world that I belonged to Michael, but what would that accomplish? Lincoln would be devastated and I knew that one day Michael would realize I would never be anything but trash. How he went this long without realizing it was beyond me. One of us had to do the right thing and I guess that had to be me._

_"No."_

* * *

Five minutes later I was pulling my car into the parking garage. The lower level was abandoned save for 2 cars on the opposite end. This late in the evening, only the levels closest to ground level were full. I pulled into the farthest spot from the entrance and nervously made my way out of the car. I looked around for Michael, but he either wasn't there yet or he was hiding.

As I waited, my phone rang. "Hello?"

"Mama?" I smiled, knowing a phone conversation with a 20 month old could only go so far. He had a habit of waking up the second I left and crying until Mrs. Peters called me.

"Hello Grayson."

"Mama gone?" He asked, worriedly.

"I'm sorry. I snuck out while you were sleeping. I didn't even think you would notice. I'll be home in a little bit, ok? I love you."

"Kiss Mama."

I hung up, put my phone back in my pocket, and leaned back against my car, settling in to wait. Obviously, punctuality was something Michael had forgotten.

"Boyfriend?" I heard behind me.

I gasped and spun around. He was standing against the wall with his arms folded over his chest, an angry expression on his face. The amount of rage on his face surprised me. He had never given me that look before. He got angry at me, sure, but never that much. Prison must have changed him more than I realized.

"God, Mike," I sputtered out, "Give a girl a heart attack, why don't you?"

"Well, I'm sure Prince Charming would come rescue you." He said, icily.

"Prince what? What are you talking a-," Then it clicked, "Grayson? You think Grayson is my boyfriend?" I laughed, "You have no idea what you're talking about."

He frowned, "Well then what's his name?"

"My boyfriends name is _invisible_. Between working and going to school and… other things… I wouldn't have time for a man if he came up and kicked me in the ass." I yelled at him.

His eyes lit up, the anger in them quickly dissolving at my words. "You're going to school? What are you studying?"

I sighed at hearing the pride in his voice. He was to good for me. No matter how many times I messed up or pissed him off, he was still there, standing behind me.

I lowered my eyes, "I'm studying business. They have mainly night classes and I can get a job as soon as I graduate."

He pulled me into his arms and laid his head on mine, "I'm proud of you, Abbie. I told you there was more to life than what you had. You deserved better. I'm so incredibly proud of you."

I pushed him away, "How can you say that? How can you be so nice to me after what I did to you? Aren't you angry at me, aren't you _furious_?"

He cupped my face in his hand, "No matter what you did in our past, doesn't change how I see you. You're an amazing woman. Everything you had to go through brought you to here and I know you appreciate what you have more than other people would."

"I told you I hated you. I turned around and never looked back. How can that not hurt?" I asked, my eyes filling up with tears.

He smiled, sadly, "Of course it hurt. But if you had stayed in Chicago, nothing would have changed. I'm glad you left because you started living your life and I'm happy for that."

"How did you know I'd be in Buffalo?" I asked, confused.

"I asked Lincoln where you was a few days after you left and he said you'd gone to stay with a relative here. I figured you would still be living here."

"Oh," I answered. Of course I had to tell Lincoln where I was going, I didn't want him to worry about me. I just never told him _why_ I was leaving. I gave him a partial truth- that I wanted to start over and make a life for myself.

"Abbie?" He asked, slowly. "I've been wondering something for a long time now… That night when I asked you to tell Lincoln about us, why did you say no if you were going to leave a few months later anyway? Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I wasn't planning on leaving at that time." I answered truthfully. "I left on a spur of the moment. My grandmother happened to call me when I was having a really hard time and she offered me a place to stay in exchange for my promise to turn things around."

He moved closer, "Why were you having a hard time? What happened to make you want to leave everything behind?" He brushed my cheek with his fingers, "To leave _me_ behind."

He looked at me with such longing in his eyes that I almost didn't tell him the truth. But he deserved to hear it and I wasn't one to sugarcoat. "You deserved better." I said simply.

He grabbed my arms, squeezing them roughly. I winced at how strong he'd became. "How do you know what I deserve, what I want? I wanted you, only you!" He jerked my body towards his so that I was molded against him. "I've missed you so much, Abigail." He grabbed my hair and pulled my head back so he could lower his lips to my neck. He slowly kissed his way up, over my jaw and up to my earlobe.

My eyes widened in shock. He remembered. Oh sweet god, he remembered how much that drove me crazy. I silently prayed that I would have self-control if he tortured me with it. _Please lord, do not let me throw him down and have my way with him right here._

He breathed warm air into the side of my neck, "Tell me you don't love me, Abbie. Tell me to stop."

"S…St…" I tried to say, but as soon as I started talking, he let his teeth graze over the lobe.

I shuddered and tried to convince my brain to stay one step ahead of my libido. "Jesus, stop…" I finally got out.

I felt him chuckle against me, "No. I want you to say- Stop, Michael. I don't love you."

I closed my eyes and tried to think of something other than his warm body pressed against mine. Something besides his hands tangled in my hair.

God, it wasn't working. My whole body was tingling, yearning for his touch. _Damn you, body. You betrayed me._

I thought of Terry and the first time he'd ever hit on me. I was working late one night and he asked me out, running his fingers down my arm, winking at me. It completely horrified me and I couldn't think about it without gagging for weeks. "Stop it, Michael." I said in a strong voice.

He paused for a moment. Obviously he wasn't aware I had developed that much self control. Then he changed tactics. He took his other hand, that was holding my arm tight to my side, and wrapped it around my waist, moving my coat up so he could rest his hand on my skin.

I gasped and tried to push myself away. He stayed firm against me, obtaining the upper hand once again. He continued kissing his way over my jaw, down to my neck, up to my ear, and over again. "Now, say the rest."

I thought of all the other disgusting stuff Terry had tried to do to me, but it was ruined when I turned it around and imagined Michael doing it instead. Terry grabbing my ass in the walk-in freezer turned into Michael grabbing my ass. Terry dropping stuff on the floor so he could look up my skirt became Michael looking at me. Ugh, I'm so pathetic. I can't even spit out a simple sentence. I took a deep breath, "I don't-" But that was all I got out because at that instant, he moved his mouth back to my ear and bit down hard.

"Oh, shit," I forgot all my thoughts and instantly jerked my body towards his. I heard him groan under his breath as he tightened his hold on me.

"God, I love you, Abbie." He said slamming his lips on mine.


	3. Chapter 3

**This whole chapter is a flashback, so I didn't bother italicizing it since that makes it a little harder to read. Next chapter will be back to present time.**

* * *

_flashback_

"Abbie?" Michael asked, rubbing his eyes. "What brings you here at-" he checked his watch, "Two in the morning?" He asked when he opened the door.

I lowered my eyes to the floor, to embarrassed to say anything. "It's… it's nothing. Just forget it." I sobbed, turning to walk away.

"Hey!" He said, grabbing my arm. "Stop, Abbie! What's wrong?"

"I didn't want to stay at home. Can I crash here for awhile?" I asked nervously.

He frowned, "What happened? Did Lincoln do something?"

"No, no! Look, can I explain it. Just let me come inside. Please?"

"Of course you can stay here. You know you don't have to ask. Come in." He said, grabbing my hand. He led me to his couch, pulling me down beside him. "Now, are you going to tell me about it or do I have to call Lincoln and threaten it out of him?"

My eyes widened and I shook my head at him, "No! Please don't call him, he's not even home. He'll get angry and come home, then Freeman will get angry at me, and Lincoln will do something stupid and-"

He cut me off mid-ramble, "Wait, Freeman? Who is he?" I looked away and he tightened his grip on my hand, "What happened?"

I looked down again, not wanting to look him in the eyes, "Lincoln had to go downtown for… business… His friend, Freeman, came over after he left. I told him Lincoln wouldn't be back for awhile and that I'd tell him he stopped by. He told me he would just wait for him and pushed me away from the door." I looked up at him and he was sitting and staring at me with an expressionless face. "Freeman just got out of prison…" I hesitated.

"For what?" His jaw was clenched.

"For rape." I cautiously looked up into his eyes.

He closed his eyes and his jaw ticked, "Did he…?" He asked in a strangled voice.

"He pushed me up against the wall and tried to kiss me. I kept pushing him away, but he just kept coming back." I closed my eyes. "He… he put his hand down my underwear." Michael hissed softly under his breath. "He told me he would give me an ounce of coke to let him finish and I told him that I didn't do favors like that anymore, but he didn't believe me. I finally got a good knee shot into him and I took off."

He put his arms around me and pulled me closer. "This is the only place I feel safe." I mumbled into his shoulder.

Laying his cheek on my head, he said, "I'll always keep you safe, Abbie."

"You won't tell Linc what happened, will you? He'd kill him."

He pushed himself away from me, "Does he not DESERVE it?" He asked, angrily.

"Does Lincoln deserve to go to jail for it?" I yelled back, just as angry.

At that, he hesitated. "No." He finally answered. "But that guy still deserves something. I've half a mind to go kill him myself." He muttered, settling back down.

I laughed quietly, imagining gentle, sweet Michael ever raising his hand to anybody.

He put his fingers under my chin, raising my face up to look at him, "Something humorous?"

"Just imagining you actually getting physical with someone. You have to admit, it is a _little_ humorous." I answered, giving him a wink before standing up to head to the kitchen.

I heard him jump up behind me and in the next instant, he grabbed my hand and turned me around, pinning me against the wall. My arm was twisted behind my back.  
"Care to rephrase that?" he murmured into my ear.

"Why Michael. I never knew you were so… kinky…" I stealthily raised my other hand to push him away. "It might have been more effective if you hadn't forgot one small-" In one fluid movement, he had captured my errant hand and pressed it to the wall above our heads.

"Anything else I'm forgetting?" He smirked at me.

I narrowed my eyes at him. No way was he winning this battle. I tried to pull my arms out of his grasp, but he held tight to them. I could halfway lift my legs, but that only made him press his body tighter against me. As a last resort, I tried wiggling my hips to see if I could slide down.

I heard his breath catch in his throat when I jerked my body against his. I raised my eyebrow at him, "Well, well, well. It seems we have found the weak link in your chain, Mr. Scofield."

He shot me a warning look, "Don't even think about it, Abbie." He said, letting go of the arm behind my back and trying to back away from me.

I gave him my best innocent smile, wrapped my newly free hand around his neck, and pulled him in close again. "What's wrong, Michael? It's ok for you to tease me, but I can't tease back?"

He smiled at me, warily, "I've known you for years. I know your penchant for taking things to far."

I pulled his head in closer to mine, "And what exactly would constitute us taking this to far?"

"I think if one of us was uncomfortable, that would be a good enough reason." His breath was getting shorter, but I wasn't sure if it was maybe because he was getting annoyed.

Or something else.

I tilted my head, "And what exactly am I doing that is making you so uncomfortable, Michael?"

I felt his body shift underneath me before he answered, "Just not sure you were aware of how close in proximity the… um… _lower_ half of our bodies are." He looked away, blushing.

Oh, trust me, I knew _exactly_ how close our bodies were. I just never knew Michael would get so flustered being so close to me. He had not had a serious girlfriend in years, but he always treated me like a little sister so I didn't think us joking around would affect him this way.

Biting my lip, I let go of his neck, "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to make you upset. I was only playing." I shrugged away from him and headed back to the living room.

I heard him walking behind me and then I felt his arms around my waist. "Oh, Abbie. You know you could never make me mad." He said, leaning down to kiss my shoulder.

The feel of his soft lips on my bare skin made me shudder involuntarily. We've kissed on the cheek plenty of times, but it was always in a hello or goodbye way. This felt different. This felt more intimate.

I could feel the smile on him when he felt my body's response. He jerked my body to him and I felt myself molded against his body.

Was he doing what I think he was doing? I wasn't sure if I wanted this to happen. I mean, I cared deeply about Michael, but I'd been seeing Lincoln since I was sixteen. Sure, I always felt more comfortable with Mike and I knew how much he cared about me, but this was a game changer. For both of us.

If I let him continue we could never go back to what we had before.

While I pondered this, Michael took my silence as permission to continue. He slowly ran his lips from my shoulder to my neck. I closed my eyes and tried not to give away what I was feeling. Still as a statue, I didn't move when his hand found the hem of my shirt. I didn't move when I felt him press his hand to my skin, even though it took every ounce of my self-control not to sigh. I didn't even move while he kissed his way up to my ear. When he bit down roughly on my earlobe, I lost all of my bearings. I managed to get my hand over my mouth before I let out a moan.

"Sounds like the ice queen has finally started to melt." He whispered, his mouth in my hair.

I ripped his arms off me and turned around. "Excuse me?" I yelled, poking him in the chest with my finger. "What did you just-" Before I could finish my sentence, he grabbed my waist and in our struggle, we fell down to the couch, him pinning me down.

"Once again, Abigail. Care to rephrase that?" He smirked again before he lowered his lips back to my neck. This time his kisses were not so gentle. His hand once again found the bottom of my shirt and he grabbed at the skin on my hip.

I could hardly breathe, let alone talk. "Why… why are you doing this?"

"What you can tease me, but I can't tease you?" He mimicked.

I grabbed his shirt in my fists and narrowed my eyes at him, "So this is payback?"

"In a sense." He chuckled lightly, never removing his lips from my skin.

"So trying to seduce your brothers girlfriend is your version of a good time?" God, he is so infuriating.

"Well, to be fair, I don't think there's much _trying_ involved." He said, lifting his head with a smile.

I jutted out my chin in annoyance, "What's that supposed to mean?" Surely he sensed my body heating to his touch, but his external reaction to our situation was a little more… obvious.

"I think you're wanting this just as much as I am." He answered, hooking his fingers over my skirts waistband. I jerked against his touch as his fingers brushed across my lower belly. His smile became wider. "And I know you appreciated this-" He said, leaning forward to scrape his teeth across my earlobe again. "Tell me to stop and I will." His voice was like velvet in my ear.

At that second, I knew. All the time he had let me into his life with no questions asked, all the 2 am phone calls when he was worried about me, the pained looks he'd give me when I'd go home to Lincoln.

He loved me. And he would stop, I knew he would in an instant. My feelings were more important to him than what he was feeling. He would stop and he would never bring it up again if that was what I wanted.

My eyes closed, involuntarily and I answered without any second thoughts.

"Don't stop."


	4. Chapter 4

The kiss started out slow and gentle as he pulled me into him and wrapped his arms around me. Whoever came up with the phrase "heaven on earth" had obviously had Michael Scofield's lips pressed against them.

Out of nowhere I felt his tongue dart into my mouth. The joining of his sweet tasting kiss and his thrusting tongue about made me melt on impact.

When I flicked my tongue out to meet his he took that as his cue to speed things along. His kiss became more urgent, more desperate. He backed me up into the wall and pressed his body to mine as tight as he could. My arms wound themselves around his neck and locked tight. When he felt my body giving in to his, he grabbed my leg and hiked it around his waist. Forgetting where we were and all that was wrong with this situation, we kissed with everything we had. Eventually, I started to run out of air so I had to pull away, panting.

He closed his eyes and laid his forehead against mine. One of us was going to have to say something, but right now, silence was good enough.

We had stood like that for who knows how long when he finally decided to break our silence.

"Abbie, I-"

"We have a lot to talk about, Michael." I interrupted him.

He smiled, grimly, "I'm aware."

I moved to back away from him when he grabbed my wrists and pulled me back. "We have the rest of our lives to talk," He ran his hand down my belly, sending goosebumps through my shirt. "Right now I just want to touch you."

I pushed him away and raised an eyebrow at him, "What do you mean, 'we have the rest of our lives'?"

He looked at me exasperatedly. "Did you really think I risked coming here just to catch up on days gone by?" I looked at him, obviously confused. He brought my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles, one by one. "I've come here to get you, Abbie. To take you to Mexico with me."

Shaking my head, I backed away from him even more. "What the hell are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere with you!" He reached his arms out to grab me, so I kicked him in the shins.

Groaning, he fell down to the ground. "What was that for?"

"If you think that I'm going to go ANYWHERE with your sorry ass, then you're mistaken. You cannot just come back into my life and expect that I am going to run off to Timbuktu just because you said so. And just for the record, I left YOU. I decide if I want you back, not the other way around." I screamed at him, not caring if anyone heard.

He grabbed a hold of the cars side mirror and pulled himself to his feet, trying not to put pressure on his left leg. Asshole should not have tried to grab me. "I'm just trying to protect you. Those people will stop at nothing to get to us. If they have already been here than you're not safe. Even if all they knew about you was that you were Lincoln's girlfriend. They know that hurting you will hurt him which will in turn affect me. That's all they want, is to get to me."

I scoffed at him, "And what makes you so special?"

"I'm valuable to whoever's coming after me for some reason. I've noticed that I'm the one they're gunning for the most. I don't know why, but I don't want to stick around to find out. I want to get you out of here so I can keep you safe." He answered, trying to come close to me again.

Putting my hand to his chest, I let him know that I was not as angry, but I still didn't want him near me. "Mike, you- you just can't tell me that I'm going to go with you. I have a life here. I have a job, school, friends, stuff that is important to me. No matter what they may or may not do, I won't let it affect my life like that."

He put his hand against my cheek, "Isn't there anything important to you that's not located in New York?" I leaned my face into his hand and sighed. "All I want is to know that you're okay. If they know where you are, they'll never stop. Let me keep you safe. Let me protect you." He whispered.

"What about everything I said to you two years ago? When I told you I would never tell Lincoln about us? And what about Lincoln? How are you going to explain why you risked everything just to come here and get me?" As far as I knew, Lincoln never knew about my affair with Michael. Not that he was ever sober or aware enough to notice.

He put his other hand on my other cheek, "I always hoped you said those things because you knew you were leaving. At the time, if you had not of said them, I would never have let you go. Apparently, you weren't even planning on leaving when you said them, which blows that theory out of the water, but I know you felt things for me. They might not have been strong and you might not feel them anymore, but they were there, albeit briefly. After you left, I tried not to think about you. I did everything I could to forget you, but you were never gone from my mind for good. You were all I wanted "

I clenched my eyes shut so he could not see the tears that were threatening to pour out. "Oh, Michael. You really believed me, didn't you? I lied to you. I was angry and scared and I just couldn't deal with it all anymore. I never meant to hurt you. You deserved so much better than me. You wanted all these things that I just could never give you."

I felt him pull himself down and kiss my eyelids, "Open your eyes, Abbie." I shook my head, still not trusting myself to not burst into tears. "Open them. Please." His voice cracked, "Please."

As soon as I wrenched them open, a tear fell from one. He took his thumb and wiped at the teardrop that was falling down my cheek. He straightened out, but I was looking anywhere but at him. "Look in my eyes, Abigail. I don't care what you thought I needed or deserved, I wanted you. I WANT you. Ever since you first started coming to my apartment, ever since you started needing me to make you feel safe, I've wanted you. Heck, if I'm being honest, I wanted you a hell of a long time before that. Everything you did, everything you was, none of that mattered to me. You were mine. You ARE mine. Forever." His eyes blazed with sudden anger, "And if I have to physically drag you into my car and chain you to the seat, so help me god I'll do it. I don't care what Lincoln thinks. I'll tell him the truth myself."

I bit my lip and looked down at my shoes, "Michael, there's things you don't know. Things I've kept from you. I was hoping it would never matter, but since you're obviously not going to go away of your own accord you need to hear it."

He smiled, "You know I don't care about any of that stuff. Nothing you could say would change that."

"I'm not so sure of that." I answered.

He put his arm around me, "Well why don't you tell me on the way." He turned around to open my car door, "We can go back to your house and grab whatever you want if you hurry, but we need to be on the road-"

"Michael, I'm not going with you." I blurted out.

He spun around so fast I thought his head was going to fly off, "What the hell do you mean you're not going with me? Yes, you are." His eyes flashed with anger.

I narrowed my eyes at him, "No."

Grabbing my arm, he dragged me over to the passenger seat, "Get. In. The. Car."

"No!" I yelled, turning around and lifting my foot to kick him again. He wasn't one to be fooled twice and he easily caught it mid-air.

"Are you ignorant? Do you WANT to die?" He all but shouted in my face.

My face crumpled at the mention of dying. Grayson was all I was concerned with. "No…"

"Then what is your defiance about? What do you have here that you could not have somewhere safer? With me." My hands covered my face at the realization of losing Grayson hit me. "Tell me what it is?" He begged.

With my hands over my face, I finally was able to sob out one word.

"Grayson."

His hands left mine as if he'd been burned. "I knew it. Of course you lied again." He spat at me with disgust. "Have you ever been faithful to one man, or are you still the same slut you used to be?"

I looked up at him and gasped at the nerve he had. In my entire life I'd only ever slept with two men and he was one of them. That hardly constitutes a slut. In fact, I think the correct term would be _prude._

He was, of course, referring to the days before I starting seeing him. I gave favors for money or drugs. Not all the time, but more than I was proud of. I never let the men go farther than touching, though. When I started to try to turn my life around, I stopped doing it. This was also about the time that I started going to Michael's apartment.

Standing up straight, I calmly looked him in the eye and slapped him as hard as I could across the face. He didn't even flinch, so he obviously was expecting it. After shutting my passenger door, I turned around and walked around the car to the driver's side. I got in, started the car, and pulled away, without once glancing in his direction. Serves him right.

He did not even try to stop me. I don't know if that was out of guilt for what he had said, or if he actually believed the bullshit coming out of his mouth.

Either way, he is still an asshole.

My hands were shaking as I drove home. The Michael that I knew would never demand that I drop everything and run away with him. This new demeanor had to be a result of prison. What happened to him in there? What happened to make him change so much?

* * *

_flashback_

_"Alright, we have Braveheart or Sleepless in Seattle. Which one do you want?"_

_Smirking, he pointed to Braveheart. "I'd rather have the mans movie, thank you."_

_Pouting, I threw the box at his head. It missed him by centimeters. "You only picked that because you know Sleepless in Seattle is my favorite."  
"You're right, but it's also because Braveheart is twice as long as Reality Bites. Which means you have to stay longer." Giving me a smile, he got up to put the movie in._

_Our nights together had slowly become routine. I would show up at eleven at night (when Lincoln would leave for "work"), we'd put a movie on, eat our weight in junk food, I would fall asleep on his shoulder, he'd move me to his bed and in the morning I would wake up and yell at him for sleeping on the couch. Then I'd go home and hope I made it in before Lincoln did, thereby avoiding all questions._

_We did this once or twice a week, whenever I was off work and to scared to stay at the apartment by myself. After living on the streets for so long you tend to lose your innocence and naivety, but I was still to frightened to be by myself especially when I knew Michael would gladly let me stay._

_I wasn't sure why he was so happy when I imposed on him. Lincoln was his brother so maybe he felt some obligation to me._

_One time I asked him why he spent more time with me than with his own brother and his sudden change in demeanor worried me so I never asked again. His eyes darkened and a scowl graced his mouth, "What my brother does is no concern to me. If he wants to ruin his life and spend the rest of it in jail, that's his problem." When I opened my mouth to argue that what I've done was no better than anything Linc did, he put his hand up to stop me. "I know what you're going to say and no, you are nothing like him. You are a victim of circumstance, he shaped his own destiny."_

_He gave me a sad smile, "Abbie, I know you're going to get away from this life. One day you'll see." And with that, his smile was gone and he would only give me one word answers for the rest of the night._

_I didn't see him for two weeks because I thought my question made him angry at me. He finally came into the bar where I worked and crushed me into his arms. When I was finally able to get free, I pulled back and asked him what the hell was wrong with him._

_"You haven't come over in over two weeks, I was so worried. Are you trying to send me to an early grave?" His words were harsh, but he was smiling as he said them. He pulled me back into his arms and put his mouth to my hair, breathing deeply._

_Embarrassed at his unexpected behavior, I pushed him away from me. "Alright Mike, that's enough. This will get back to Lincoln if you don't leave. I'll come over tomorrow night, okay?"_

_The next night he told me that he was sorry for upsetting me. He promised that no matter what he said or how he acted that it never had to do with me. He made me promise that I would not go that long without letting him know I was all right, too. I agreed to call him at least every two days if I wasn't able to come over._

_Maybe he was just worried because I was his brothers girlfriend. Or maybe he actually cared for me in some small way. I wasn't sure, but the memory of how relieved he looked_ _when he saw me in the bar never went away and I always made sure to let him know where I was at and how I was doing._

* * *

I was already crying by the time I made it back home. Why couldn't he have just stayed away and let me live my life? I didn't deserve this. Grayson didn't deserve this.

I laid my head on my steering wheel and took a deep breath.

And Michael didn't deserve this.

It wasn't his fault that I ran away that day. He would have begged me to stay, I know that. My stupidity was the reason we were in this mess now. It was my fault all of this had happened. Maybe if I had just told the truth in the beginning Michael would be hard at work building in Chicago and Lincoln wouldn't be running for his life in South America.

Forcing the tears to stop coming, I pushed all that out of my mind before I went inside. Mrs. Peters, old as she was, had eyes like a hawk and I didn't want her asking what the problem was. I checked my appearance in the mirror and looked semi-decent. I could always blame the red eyes on the cold.

She was sitting on the couch and knitting something when I got inside, "Hello dear, how was your night?" She smiled up at me.

Collapsing into the chair across from her, I closed my eyes and threw my head back, "I was on my way to the grocery store when Terry called and told me to come in and cover for a few minutes so he could eat. Who cares that I never get time to eat when I'm working, but by all means, lets call Abbie and have her come in on her night off." I hated to lie to her, but it was my only option.

Laughing, she put her knitting back in her bag and stood up to go home, "You're almost done with school and then you won't have to worry about him anymore." Patting me on the shoulder, she walked to the door, "Grayson had a bit of a fever when he woke up to call you earlier. I gave him some medicine and he seemed to feel a bit better. I just wanted to let you know."

"Thanks Mrs. Peters." I stood at the door to make sure she got home okay.

When I saw her walk in her house, I shut the door and leaned against it. Sighing, I wondered if Michael would show up at my house tonight. I knew he knew my address, so it was only a matter of time before he showed up. I hoped he'd take the hint and stay away from me. At least for a little while.

Friday morning dawned with little relief to my worries. I had dreamed about Michael last night. He had been caught and was sitting in an electric chair. Before they put the blindfold over his eyes they asked if he had any last words. He looked up to meet my gaze and firmly said, "I will always love you, Abigail."

I woke up covered in sweat and gasping. Was my dream an omen?

Fortunately, there was work and class to keep my busy all day. I bundled Grayson up and dropped him off at daycare, promising to come take him home after work. As much as I hated to admit it, he was used to not seeing me during the day. But since he wasn't feeling well last night he was a little clingier than usual.

Work passed quickly. Fridays were usually busy so I had something to keep my mind off of Michael. I knew he wouldn't dare come into a busy diner in the middle of the day, so I was able to relax and let my guard down. Terry, of course, took that as his cue to hit on me more than usual. Ignoring him, I finally ended my shift and took off to spend a couple hours with Grayson before I had to go to school. Business was never something that I particularly enjoyed, but it was quick and easy, exactly what a single mom needs. Growing up, I always wanted to be a teacher. But as I got older and saw the true ways of the world, I shot that idea down. How could I be a role model and teach children right and wrong always remembering how horrible my upbringing was?

The beginnings of my life weren't my fault, of course. I couldn't help that I had an alcoholic mother and a stepfather who thought I was his personal blow up doll. I ran away from home when I was still in grade school and did whatever I needed to do to survive. Thankfully, Lincoln found me not long after I started living on the streets and saved me.

Our lifestyle wasn't ideal and in the later years I could have stopped what I was doing before it got to bad. But by the time I realized I was in over my head, there was no turning back. If Michael's friendship hadn't of come along when it did, I would probably be dead right now. He made me want to change.

Lincoln knew what I was doing to get drugs for us, but he ignored it. Everyone who knew me would tell you that I was stubborn to a fault and Lincoln knew that if he tried to stop me from anything that I would do it just to spite him. That's why he did some of the stuff he did to get us money. He tried his hardest to keep us afloat so that I rarely ever had to do things behind his back.

Michael offered me money the first time he heard about it. Lincoln had went to see him once to ask for a loan and Michael refused until he told him why. That night when he came home, he handed me an envelope filled with hundreds. I told him to spend it on a hooker and never offer me money again if he wanted to keep his balls.

He never offered me money again.

School was a lot slower going than work. The teacher for that nights particular class liked to lecture more than he liked hands-on learning, so my thoughts naturally drifted. I wondered where Michael was and what he was thinking. Could he really have such little faith in me to believe what he said? After everything that had happened between us, all the late night whispers on how much I wanted to be with him, how much I wanted to end the life I was living, he still thinks I'd lie.

I should have told him about Grayson while I had the chance. He needed to know before he left last night.

But I also should have said something to Lincoln when he called me.

Grayson deserved to know about his father.

If only I knew who his father was.


	5. Chapter 5

**So my dumb ass apparently deleted one of my chapters without editing it. Sigh. I hope it didn't have any little pieces of information that will be important later on…**

* * *

I thought about Michael all night long. Every time I closed my eyes, I could see his face as I walked away. I could feel his lips on mine. Why couldn't things just stay the way they were? Why did he have to come back?

My phone beeped signaling I had a text message. _Call me_ it read. The number didn't look familiar, but with the way my day was going so far, it really couldn't get any worse, so I called it back.

The phone clicked a few times signifying that it was a very long-distance call.  
"Abbie?" A voice answered, sounding far off.

"Hello? Lincoln?" I answered, hopefully.

"Hey! Yeah, it's me. I just wanted to call and hear your voice."

Smiling, I settled myself on the couch, "You have no idea how happy I am that you called, Linc. I've been so worried about you."

I could hear the grin in his voice when he answered, "Aw, Abbie. I knew you loved me. You know if you wanted to come down to Mexico with me, all you had to do was ask."

That stopped my smile in a heartbeat. Two people were wanting to take me to Mexico in one day. What was the world coming to and why did it feel the need to take me down with it?

"I have no desire to go to Mexico with you and you know it, Lincoln. Mention it again and I'm terminating this call."

"Hey now! What's got your panties all in a twist?"

In the background, I could hear a faint voice groaning, "Ugh dad. Please do no talk about Abbie's underwear. That's just wrong."

My bad mood quickly evaporated, I bounced up and down on the couch in excitement. "Was that LJ? Is he okay? Can I talk to him."

I heard Lincoln pass the phone off and a happy voice came on the line. "Abbie? Tell me the truth- you miss me more than dad. I'm right, aren't I?"

"Of course I do, LJ. However, do not tell your father that. His ego is as large as his muscles." I laughed.

LJ and I talked a little bit more before he put Lincoln back on. I knew Lincoln had called just so I could talk to LJ, and I was glad he had thought of me. Since I was actually closer to LJ's age than I was to Lincolns, we had become like brother and sister over the years.

He had come and stayed with me for a few weeks in Buffalo when Lincoln was arrested. We kept that our secret, though. Nothing physical had ever gone on between us, of course, but he did not want his dad to know and I did not want Michael to know where I was, so we both agreed to keep it quiet.

LJ knew about Grayson, obviously, since he had stayed with us. He never asked questions and I never offered answers. The knowledge of Grayson was another unspoken agreement to keep to ourselves.

The first time LJ saw him, his brow furrowed as he put two and two together, but when he looked at my distraught face, his expression softened.

"Hey there, little guy. What's your name?" He had asked, rubbing his hand over Grayson's hair.

From that moment on, he had kept his questions to himself.

"Hey babe. It's me again. LJ ran off to keep a lookout for us. He has been badgering me about wanting to talk to you for days now."

I smiled, "Thanks for putting him on. After the day I've had, hearing both your voices really helps."

"So how are you? Has anyone else come around to ask questions?"

I hesitated before answering. I was not sure if I wanted Lincoln to know about the men who kept showing up at my house. I had told Michael and him that they had showed up once, but the truth was, they had showed up and called several times since the escape. If Michael was ten times more violent than he was before prison, there's no telling what state of mind Lincoln was in. He was already a violent person before the arrest. He would probably leave Mexico and come back to get me himself.

"I've had a few people question me, but I think I evaded them pretty well." I answered as honest as I could be.

"Are you sure? I hate that you got dragged into this. They need to leave you out of it, it has nothing to do with you."

His voice trailed off so I knew he was thinking about something important. I waited patiently for him to say whatever it was he needed to say.

"Abbie, listen, I don't want to alarm you or anything, but there's something I need to tell you." I shot up and gripped the phone tighter. "Michael was supposed to follow us down here, but I haven't heard from him in a week. There's not been anything on the news at all, but that doesn't mean something hasn't happened to him. I don't know where he is."

I slumped back down, grateful that there was nothing _really_ wrong. Lincoln took my silence as what he just told me sinking in. In reality, I was debating on whether I should tell him about the last couple days or not. On one hand, Michael was his brother and he deserved to not to worry about him. But on the other hand, Michael wouldn't make Lincoln worry for no reason, so maybe there was a purpose behind his not contacting him.

"Linc… There's something that you should know." I closed my eyes and hurriedly spat out the rest so I would not lose my nerve. "I know where Michael is."

"Wait, what?"

"Michael. I've talked to him recently. He's fine."

"You've seen him? Talked to him?" He asked incredulously.

I didn't want him to know that Michael had come to see me, but I knew he needed to know he was safe. "Just talked to him. He was wanting me to come with him. I told him to fuck off."

He chuckled, "Well that certainly sounds like the Abbie I know. And if I know Michael, he's just waiting to ambush you. He's nothing if not persistent."

"I don't know." I sighed. "I was pretty bad to him. But in my defense, he said some pretty rotten things to me, too."

"Yeah, he's not the same Michael you remember. If I had known he was going to get a hold of you, I would have warned you. I wonder why he's wanting to go after you. He should know I'll take care of you."

I rolled my eyes, "Linc, I hate to be the one to break this to you, but I've been taking care of myself for a couple years now. I don't think I need a babysitter."

"I know, but Abbie, you don't understand everything that's going on. These men chasing us, they will stop at nothing to get what they want. And what they want is Michael. If you had any connection to him at all, and you do, they will use you and then lose you. And when I say lose, I mean cover up whatever they did to you."

"I'm pretty sure this fair maiden can handle it, but thank you kind knight." I said, dryly.

"Aw, now that's my sarcastic Abigail that I know and love! I've missed your stupid comments that you think are so witty." He paused and I heard him talking to someone. "Hey, Abbie? I need to get off here. LJ noticed a few policemen down the street. I'll call you soon, okay? Tell Mike to call me when you see him next."

"Sure thing. I love you, Linc." I whispered sadly, willing the tears to say in my eyes.

"Hey baby, don't cry. It's all going to work out, I promise. Remember what I said, I will come get you soon. I love you."

End call

I laid my phone down on my coffee table and sat back on the couch. Lincoln didn't sound suspicious about Michael's 'call', but I still felt guilty. He was always so good to me when we were together and he tried his hardest to take care of my needs.

But he wasn't Michael.

In the beginning Lincoln's touch made me feel tingles, but over time they fizzled out and we just became comfortable together.

Michael's touch felt like fireworks exploding all over my skin. His lips would touch mine and I would see stars. I never felt that with Lincoln. And I hated myself for it.

I checked on Grayson before getting ready for bed. No matter what happened, he was my only concern.

His eyes were clenched tight and his lips were moving as if he was talking in his dream. When I ran my hand over his black curls, his face visibly relaxed and his breathing became soft and deep again.

knockknockknock

I frowned, shutting Grayson's door. Who could that be this late at night? I stopped just before reaching the door. I knew who it was. Someone who would never give up until he got what he wanted.

I threw open the door and narrowed my eyes at the man on my stoop.

"Goddammit, Mike. Can't you leave well enough alone?"

"And when have I ever left well enough alone?" He asked. "I mean, except for that one time. And I ended up not seeing you for over two years. So from now on, I'm done with it."

His mouth turned into a smirk as he realized what I was wearing. Since I was not expecting company, all I had on was a pair of panties and a t-shirt that barely covered said panties. I could feel his eyes trailing over me and I self-consciously pulled the shirt down to try and cover myself a little better.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" His voice sounded hoarser than usual.

His eyes finally met mine and I was so engrossed in the intensity behind them that I almost did not notice him make a move to step into the house.

As soon as his foot hit the door frame, I gasped and threw myself into his way.

"No!" I yelled, a bit to forcefully.

He jumped back and gave me a shocked look. "What's wrong? You know I would never hurt you, right?"

"I-I know…" I stuttered out. "But I don't think I'm comfortable with you coming in."

His smirk returned and I realized what he thought I meant. He assumed that his very presence made me uncomfortable.

His hand came up to brush my cheek as he stepped back over to me. "Sweet, sweet Abigail." He whispered to me. "I could never do anything to you that you didn't want." He brought his face down to mine and dragged the tip of his nose along my jaw line. "What you didn't beg me for."

My waist was instantly enclosed under his palms as he slowly pushed me into the house.

His face was still pressed up against mine as he replaced his nose with his lips. I heard him let out a deep rumble in his chest as soon as his lips pressed against my neck.

With one final push, he had me inside the room and the door shut. He wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, with my hands clenched tightly to his shirt.

"God Abbie. Why do you keep trying to push me away?" He murmured into my ear. "You can't tell me this is not what you're wanting." I could feel cold air on the back of my thighs as his fingers bunched into my shirt and started to raise it up.

When his hands brushed over the back of my panties, I arched into him, garnering a low moan from his throat.

"You're making this very hard to stay in control." I could barely hear him, his voice had gone so low.

Deep in the back of my mind, I was screaming at myself to make him stop and force him out of my house, but I wasn't sure if I was able to do that anymore. The feel of his lips kissing my neck and his thumbs grazing the waistband of my panties was taking over all of my synapses.

Besides, even if I did manage to make him stop, he would never leave of his own free will. Either way, he finds out my dirty little secret. Either way, he hates me and I know I will never see him again.

Might as well have one more moment in time with him while I could. It had been so long since I had been with him that my whole body was screaming for his touch.

I encircled my arms around his neck and pulled my face back from his.

"Then lose control, Michael." His head jerked up and his eyes locked with mine. I nodded, giving him permission.

He paused for a moment and then threw my body against the wall behind me. My head cracked against it when he slammed his lips onto mine, but I was to far gone to feel any pain.

This kiss was harder and more forceful than our previous ones. When I moaned the second his tongue darted out over my lip, he picked me up and wrapped my legs around his waist.

All I could think about was how _right_ this felt. Michael and me. I hadn't been with another man since him, no matter what he believed. My body instantly froze when I remembered why I was mad at him in the first place.

"What's wrong?" He gasped against my lips.

"Michael, I just wanted you to know-" I pulled my head back from him. "There's been no one else. Not since you." My eyes sought his as I tried to impress on him the truth of my words.

He smiled softly and laid his head against mine, "I believe you. I'm sorry I said those things to you. You didn't deserve that." His lips were pressed gently against mine as he let me know without words what his thoughts were.

His hands started up their roaming over my lower back as he turned me around and started up the hallway. "Which door is the bedroom?"

I managed to point to the correct door while secretly hoping he would open it silently. Even though there was no getting around the knowledge of Grayson anymore, I still wanted Michael all to myself for at least a little while longer.

He threw me down on the bed and crawled his way back up to lips. My legs wound their way back around his waist as I ran my hands up his arms ending up at his neck. My hand sought entrance at the top of his so I could run my hand over the top of his back.

I could feel him chuckle against my lips. "Would it be easier if I took my shirt off?"

"Much." I breathed against him.

He leaned back and gave me a hesitant look. "Don't be alarmed by what you see alright?"

I raised my eyebrows at him. "I'll try not to." What could he possibly have that would alarm me?

In one swift motion, he pulled his shirt off and threw it across the room to reveal something I never in a million years thought I would ever see.

There were dozens of intricate tattoos from his wrists to his neck and even on his stomach. I gasped and rose up on my elbows. "Mike, I- I don't understand. What is this?"

"This is how I was able to free Lincoln."

I gently touched one before he hung his head looking ashamed. "What's wrong?"

"You think I'm insane, don't you." It was a statement, not a question. "I don't blame you."

"Are you kidding me? After all this time, I don't care if you had showed up with a third nipple!" I grabbed hold of his shoulders and flipped him over onto the bed putting myself on top of him.

My hands roamed over his chest and shoulders, touching every inch of his skin that I could.  
Smiling to let him know it was okay, I leaned my head down and placed a kiss on his chest. His breath caught as my lips touched his skin. Sensing the go ahead, I trailed kisses on his hot skin. "You are so perfect." I whispered against his shoulder.

His hands reached up and pulled my lips back to his, "Did I mention they're on my back, too?"

"What are you trying to do to me?" I managed to groan out. He gently bit my bottom lip while his own breath was starting to get shorter.

He swiftly pulled my shirt over my head and flipped us back over so that he was on top again.

"I'm trying to love you." His voice was a soft whisper as his hand caressed my cheek.

I opened my mouth and quickly closed it again.

"Michael, I…"

My lips were again pressed against his as he murmured how much he loved me repeatedly. Grasping the tops of my underwear, he gently tugged them off, never moving his lips from mine.

Of course I loved him, I'd never stopped loving him. He was the only man I wanted in the world.

But before I could reply, I felt him shrug off his pants and boxers, and I lost all rationality and gave myself over to his love.


	6. Chapter 6

I fell asleep that night not thinking of any consequences, not caring about what happened in the morning.

But after waking up in the next day, it was a different story.

I blinked slowly, letting my eyes get used to the light streaming into my room. The clock on my nightstand said it was 6:30 am. I mentally groaned knowing I only had a short time window until Grayson woke up. Michael must have been to focused to notice the baby things laying about the apartment last night.

I smiled and bit down on my lip thinking of last night. It's been more than two years since he'd touched me like that. My legs and arms felt sore this morning, but who was I to complain?

His arms wrapped around my middle were tight and warm. I burrowed back into his embrace and let it wrap itself around me for a moment longer.

I could hear his breathing, soft and even, against my shoulder. The thought of him lying naked behind me almost made me turn around and wake him up for a repeat performance of last night, but I knew today was the day for us to talk.

His body suddenly tensed up as I felt him stretching behind me. The movement against me was going to drive me insane if he did not stop it.

"Good morning." He said, his voice thick with sleep. "You have no idea how good it feels to wake up next to you." He nuzzled his lips against the back of my neck. "Pressed against you." His lips began a torturous trail over my neck and up to my ear as his hand traced circles over my belly.

Oh god, "Michael…" I moaned.

He murmured something intelligible into my hair.

I forced myself out of his arms, "We have to talk about something. Something that's important."

He propped himself up on his elbow and watched me walk over to my dresser to get dressed. "Can't it wait for an hour?"

I pulled my shirt over my head and rolled my eyes at him. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Scofield. We had sex two times last night."

He reached over to me and pulled me back onto the bed beside him, "Well lets make it two more times to make it even." His breath was hot against my collarbone. "I like making you mine."

I blinked back a sudden onslaught of emotion. It's a pretty safe bet that he won't want me to be his when he finds out what I've been hiding for the last two years.

* * *

_Flashback_

"_Goddamnit, Abbie. I'm going to be late for work if you don't stop the puking." Lincoln yelled at me through the bathroom door.  
He was supposed to be at the factory in fifteen minutes and I was currently leaning over the toilet, throwing up everything I ate that day. And some stuff I do not even remember eating._

_I managed to stop long enough to open the door and let him in. He stormed in with a pissed off look on his face, but it melted when he saw me lying on the floor trying not to cry._

"_Hey there, baby. I'm not mad at you." He whispered, pulling me into his arms. He rocked me softly in his arms while kissing my hair. "This is the third day in a row that you've been sick. I think you might need to go to the doctor soon. I'm starting to get worried."_

_I shook my head. Not only were we broke, but we did not have any way of acquiring insurance. A doctor's bill would lose us a months worth of food._

"_Maybe I could ask Michael for some money. You know he'd lend it to me if I said it was for you to go to the doctor." _

_My head shook even harder, making me dizzy again. "No." I said, vehemently. If Michael knew I had been sick for three days and had not told him, he would be upset. We had not talked to each other in almost a month. Ever since he had come to our apartment to talk to Lincoln about something and saw that he was not home. One thing led to another and we had ended up frantically sleeping together in Lincoln and I's bed. I had been so ashamed of it that I have not been able to see him since. My phone rang off the hook when Lincoln was working, but I could not answer it. I eventually just turned if off and left it. Thankfully, he had enough sense not to barge back into the bar looking for me.  
_

"_I'm fine." I mumbled, falling asleep in Lincoln's arms. "Just something going around."_

_I vaguely remembered him carrying me to bed and pulling the covers over me._

_When I woke up, it was hours later and the sun was starting to come up. I stretched on the bed and brought my hands out beside me. I hit something warm and jumped up off the bed in a panic._

_Jeannette laughed and stood up. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Linc called me and told me to come over and make you go to the doctor. He's worried sick over you."_

_Jeannette was our neighbor in the apartment building. Her husband and Linc worked together in the factory so we saw quite a bit of each other. We had become good friends over the last few months._

"_I'm not going to the doctor, so you might as well go home." I loved Lincoln, but that man could be annoying. When do mean realize that no means NO?_

_Her eyes narrowed at me angrily. "Lincoln told me that under no circumstances am I to allow you to talk me out of it. He said if I have to drag you there kicking and screaming that I am allowed to do so. So you might as well get dressed peacefully while I fix you breakfast. Then we are going across town to the clinic. They have a cheap payment plan for people with no insurance." She pushed me to the bathroom and shut the door behind me. _

_The walk to the clinic did not help clear my mind of Michael. Maybe a break from each other was what we needed to think rationally. If you love something let it free and all that shit. No one ever mentioned that letting what you love free would tear out your heart and mangle it into a thousand pieces. Or that you would physically ache for them._

_I shook my head, and thought of other things. Lincoln running his fingers through my hair. Kissing me roughly when he would leave for work every night. I smiled as thoughts of him made me feel warm inside. Not hot and desperate like thinking of Michael could do to me, but a nice comforting feeling._

_Maybe I could force myself to stay away from Mike for Lincoln's sake. Linc would be devastated if he had ever found out. He was so insanely in love with me that I knew he would never do anything as horrible as this. _

_We'd been living together for years and years, ever since I was twelve and he had found me on the street, huddled under a blanket. He took me under his wing, no questions asked, and I would never be able to thank him enough. At first, he was just like an older brother to me, but when I turned fifteen I started noticing him in a different way. Watching how his muscles would contract when he took his shirt off. The way a drop of sweat would roll down his forehead, his neck, his chest, only to finally land at the waistband of his jeans. How his tongue would stick out through his lips when he was trying to concentrate on something._

_Somehow, I managed to hold myself off until I was sixteen, but a few weeks after my birthday everything changed between us._

_I thought he was gone one day when I was getting dressed in our current tiny apartment. I was planning on heading out and trying to find a job since I was now old enough to work. Lincoln was supposed to be out; doing what, I didn't ever ask._

_I was standing in front of the closet looking for something decent to wear. I didn't have much, but he never let me go without nice things. No matter what he had to do to get them for me. My body was clad only in a blue bra and pink underwear. They weren't even that pretty, but I guess they served their purpose, because when I turned around, there was Linc standing in the doorway. His eyes were trailing over my body and when they came up to meet mine, I saw the pupils were so dark they were almost black. His gaze was deep and lustful and I felt myself grow hot under the intensity of it. _

_My body reacted to his almost instantly. My eyes lowered to take him in and I noticed how prominently he was responded to me._

_Biting my lip, I took a step closer to him._

"_See something you like, Lincon?" _

_He was frozen in the doorway as I stood in front of him. I put my hands on top of his balled fists and slowly ran them up his arms to his neck. The eyes pointed at mine never lost the wanting in them. I wondered if he had been thinking the same impure thoughts my mind had been going over for the last year._

_His heart was pounding against my chest as I pressed my body against his rigid one. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his mouth down to mine._

_I shook my head out of my daydream. I remember needing him so badly when I was younger._

_And through it all, constant dependable Michael had been there. We wasn't as close as we would end up being a few years later, but I considered him my friend. _

_No matter how amazing the first few years were with Linc, I never felt a tenth of the raw primal need I felt with his brother. I needed Michael near me as much as I needed air. Lincoln may have been in my heart, but Mike WAS my heart, my soul._

_The clinic was small, but packed about ten other patients in the waiting room. The nurse told me it would probably be about an hour wait. That was fine, where would I go anyway?_

_Jeannette got me a magazine to look at as she pulled a book out of her purse._

_The nurse finally called me back to the room about an hour and fifteen minutes later. Jeannette stood up to go with me but I waved her off. "I think I can manage this. I'll be right out."_

_The doctor was a short thick man whose name tag read Doctor Rich. I snorted at the irony._

"_So Miss Houston, tell me what's been bothering you." He said, settling down into a chair._

"_It's just a bug going around is all. My boyfriend forced me to come. I feel fine right now, actually."  
He frowned, "So you've been throwing up for how long?"_

"_Just the last few days, but it's kind of off and on. Like I said, I feel great right now, so I think it's passing."_

_The doctor chuckled and pulled a cup out of the cabinet. "Why don't you go to the bathroom and give me a sample of your urine. Then we'll take it from there."_

_I shrugged and did as he asked. _

_Fifteen minutes later, he came back in the room and dropped a stack of pamphlets on my lap._

"_Congratulations Miss Houston. You're pregnant."_

_End flashback_

* * *

"Abbie? What's wrong?" I heard Michael ask as I pulled myself out of my memories. He was leaning over me, his face etched with worry.

"I-I'm fine, Mike. Just thinking." I looked up at him. He was so beautiful, so good and pure that it hurt me to look at him.

He sensed that something important was bothering me, so he laid back down beside me. "What did you want to talk about that was so important we're not allowed to touch each other?"

I hesitated and bit down on my lip hard enough to hurt.

"Michael, you know how much I care about you, right?" I kissed his chest and let my tears finally fall. "You know I don't ever want you hurt. I would rather die than see you upset. You know that, right?" I mumbled against his stomach.

"Abbie, you're scaring me." He said, pulling me back up to face him. "What happened? Why are you so upset? Nothing you could ever say or do would ever make me stop loving you." He wiped my tears away with his thumb, but more came pouring out anyway.

I pulled myself away from him and stood up. "I have to show you something. Something that may make you take back your words."  
He started to jump up in the bed, but I held my hand out, "No. Just stay there, please. I'll be right back." I walked towards the door, but stopped before I got out of the room. My back still to him, I lowered my head. "I do love you. No matter what." I whispered before leaving my room.

I headed down the hall toward Grayson's room. He was still asleep, but his eyes were fluttering like they always did minutes before he woke up.

"Good morning my sweet angel." I murmured to him, picking up his little body and holding him to my chest. He sighed and wrapped his hand in my hair. I reached my bedroom door and stood out of Michael's view for a moment, gathering all of my courage.

Finally, I walked in and looked at Michael.

His mouth dropped open and he looked at Grayson and then me. "What's going on?" His voice was barely a whisper.

"Michael, I'd like to introduce you to Grayson." I looked him in the eye and tried to telepathically apologize. "This is my son."


	7. Chapter 7

Michael looked at me incredulously and his mouth dropped open. I'm not sure he even saw me, with the way his eyes glazed over.

"Would you please say something?" I asked. "Anything?" I was not positive I would like anything that came out of his mouth, but even anger had to be better than the vacant stare he was giving me.

Finally, he blinked heavily and looked away from me. From his profile, I could see that his eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply. The sound of him swallowing and trying to cough made me lower my face to Grayson's hair. I had promised myself that I would not be emotional when this day came, but seeing him trying to force himself to talk to me brought me down. I knew that I deserved his anger, but I only kept this from him to protect him. To protect Lincoln.

No matter what happened, someone was going to be hurt.

"What's going on, Abbie?" Michael finally sputtered out. "When did you have a child?"

My eyes met his and I was not surprised to see the betrayal filling them.

"A year and a half ago." I whispered.

"18 months? That's-" He did the math in his head. "Less than eight months after you moved away…" He trailed off, realizing the truth.

Suddenly his eyes narrowed and coldness seeped into them.

"That's why you stopped taking my calls, why you left so quickly. What, did you think a clean break would be better for you?"

Confused, I asked, "What are you talking about Mike? What does a clean break have to do with anything?"

"You made me think that I had done something wrong for two years. I hated myself knowing that I had pushed you away." He threw the covers off and jumped up to put his pants on. "And this whole time you were here raising my brothers bastard kid? Does he even know? Or are you keeping him in the dark on that dirty little secret, too?"

I squeezed Grayson closer to my chest, hoping he would stay asleep long enough to miss Michaels temper tantrum.

"Ok, first of all you self-riotous ass, do not EVER call my child a bastard again if you even remotely value your life. Secondly, said child is currently sleeping, so I would appreciate if you would use your indoor voice in my house. And last of all, I never said this was Lincoln's kid!"

That caught his attention and he stopped mid-zip.

"You-you mean? He's _my_ child?" The glare was instantly replaced by another feeling. I didn't want to notice it, but I think it was _hope_.

Biting my lip, I turned away. I could not look him in the eyes when I admitted it.

"I didn't say that, either."

There was silence behind me for a moment.

"Was there someone else?" I could hear the hurt in his voice when he asked that.

I shook my head, not daring to look at him. Grayson whimpered and rolled his face into my neck. I kissed his forehead, my back still facing Michael.

We both were quiet for a few minutes. Me trying my hardest not to throw my arms around Michael and tell him I was sorry. Him trying to sort through the last few minutes.

Somehow, I found the courage to turn around and look at him. He was sitting on the bed with his head in his hands. The tattoos on his back were shining from the sunlight coming through the window. Our "adventures" last night never allowed me to see them.

I walked closer to the bed and laid a hand on his shoulder. "How was I supposed to tell you that I was pregnant and I didn't even know who the father was?"

Michael's shoulders shook as I realized he was trying not to cry.

"Did you really think I would not accept you? Was our relationship so trivial that you couldn't even tell me the truth?"

"No!" I cried, sitting down beside him on the bed. "What we had meant everything to me. You are the reason I wanted out of all that. You made me believe I was better. How could I have done that if I stayed and raised a child by myself?"

"I would have been there!" His hands rubbed on his eyes and he looked up to see me. "No matter who's baby it was- Mine, Linc's, hell the goddamned mailman's! I would have loved you. Tell me you knew that."

Laying my head on his shoulder, I kissed his neck as softly as I could. "I know that, Mike. And that is why I left. You deserved more than some loser who might have been pregnant with you brother's child. I would not do that to you. That is how much I loved you." I entwined my hand with his. "How much I _love_ you."

Looking down at our hands clasped together, he sighed and pulled me closer. Grayson chose that moment to yawn and lift his head up.

"Mama?" He asked, drowsily.

"Hey there my little guy." I replied, kissing his cheek.

Grayson looked over at Michael with a curious expression.

Michael's expression instantly softened from the guarded face I was getting. "Good morning, Grayson." He hesitantly reached his hand up to rub Grayson's curls. "I hated my curls when I little."

"I know. Lincoln told me that when you were seven you cut your hair so short that they had to give you a buzz cut."

"He has Lincoln's eyes, though." Did I catch a flicker of disappointment in his voice?

"But he's got your personality. At his daycare, he takes charge of all the other children and makes little groups. One group will start building with blocks, then he will move to another and get them to start coloring with him. He's very organized."

So far, Michael was being very understanding about his. I expected a little lash out, which he did, but I never thought I would see him smile so sweetly at Grayson. Of course, everything that happened was neither of their faults. It was all mine. If I had just told Lincoln that I was in love with his brother, none of this would have happened. But then I might not have my child, so maybe it is true when they say that everything happens for a reason.

"Abbie?" Mike's quiet voice brought me out of my daydream. "Whose baby do you want him to be?"

"Yours, Mike. Oh god, I've always wanted him to be your baby. How can you even ask that?"

He brushed his lips over my knuckles, "Just wanting to know where we stand." His head shot back up. "Have you ever told Lincoln about him? Does he know?"

I shook my head. Lincoln would automatically assume that he was the father and I didn't want to get his hopes up until I knew for sure. For some reason, I wanted him to know about Michael and I's past before he heard about Grayson.

"I need to go fix breakfast, if that's okay. Are you going to stay?"

"Where else would I rather be?" He smiled.

* * *

_Flashback- Lincoln's POV_

_"Abbie, have you talked to Michael lately?" I asked walking into our bedroom._

_She looked up with wide eyes. I must have startled her._

_"N-no baby, why?" She looked back down at the book she was reading._

_I shook my head and turned to walk out. "Just wondering."_

_Abe from the factory told me that he thought he saw Abbie heading into an apartment building on the west side last night. The street was the same street Michael lived on, but I knew he had to be mistaken because Abbie was home when I left. She said she was going to take a shower and head to bed._

_Must have been a mistake. _

* * *

"So when are you planning on talking to Lincoln?" Michael asked as we were washing the breakfast dishes. Grayson had retired to his bedroom to play with his hot wheels so me and Mike finally had a moment to talk privately. Of course, Grayson was to small to understand anything we were saying, but it was the point of the matter.

I handed him a plate to dry, "I talked to him last night on the phone, but I can't tell him like that. He should hear it in person from me. Plus, there's a good chance that you're Grayson's father, so then there would be no reason to tell him at all."

"Don't you think he would find it odd to hear that me and you are together raising our eighteen month old child? Linc's not a genius, but he's no idiot."

"Why does he even have to find out at all? It's not like he can just up and come home and see me anytime he wants to. Grayson could well be in college by the time he finds out."

Michael threw his dishtowel to the floor and spun me around to face him.

"Are you listening to the words coming out of your mouth, Abigail? How could anyone say that and believe it? Lincoln needs to know that there is a possibility that he may have another son. And he deserves to know about us. If you don't tell him, so help me god, I will." His eyes flashed with anger as he threatened me.

Picking his discarded towel up off the floor, I flashed him a cynical look. "You wouldn't dare, Mike. You know he would kill you with his bare hands and not think twice about it. Back then you only wanted to hurt him. Nothing he did was good enough for you, nothing he did was right. You probably only fucked me just to get to him."

He dropped my shoulders and backed away from me. I knew that what I said was not true, but he had to know that he was not going to threaten me. If I had to hurt him to get my point across, so be it.

"I always knew you could be a bitch, Abbie. But even this is too much. I know what you are trying to do and it's not going to work. Pushing me away is not going to be that easy. Losing you the first time almost broke me, losing you again would kill me. So stop trying to piss me off."  
Turning around, he walked out of the kitchen. I heard him stop at Grayson's room and talk softly to him. Grayson let out a loud giggle at whatever Michael said to him. Curious, I peered around the hallway up to his room. Michael was sitting against the crib with Grayson on his lap. They both had toy trucks and were pretending to fly them through the air. Grayson was laughing, trying to hit Michael's truck with his own.

Not wanting to intrude on their private moment, I stepped back into the kitchen to finish the dishes.

Michael would make a wonderful father one day.

Every part of me was hoping desperately that this was that day.

* * *

I always put Grayson down for his morning nap at about ten. He usually slept for about an hour and a half and then I would start lunch.

But when I went in his room to get him ready for bed, I found Michael rocking him instead. Grayson was sound asleep on his chest. Michael was humming softly to him while rubbing his back.

Choking back a sob, I turned around and walked back to the kitchen. I pressed my hands on the counter and let the tears fall unabashedly. After a few minutes, I was too upset to even hold myself up and had to lean over the counter.

I felt a hand stroke my hair. "Don't cry baby." Michael whispered.

Another batch of sobs forced their way out so Michael grabbed me and turned me around, forcing me against his chest. I grabbed his shirt in my fists and clung to him as tightly as I could.

"I'm so sorry, Michael. I'm so sorry." I whimpered into him. "This was never supposed to happen. No one was supposed to be hurt."

His hand ran across my back, "No one but you?"

What could I say to that? He was right. I knew leaving would break me, but at the end of the day, I would rather only me be hurt by the truth than Michael and Lincoln knowing.

"How am I supposed to make this right?"

He sighed, "I don't know." He shrugged his hands over his chest. "I don't think they make a tattoo for this."

I smiled at his choice of words. Even if he was under immense pressure, he was still trying to make me feel better. I lifted my head from his chest and nuzzled into his neck. The grip on my waist tightened slightly.

My hand ran down his arm, pulling him closer into me. "I would do anything to make you love me again."

"I never stopped loving you, Abbie. You know that."

I bit down on his collarbone. "But do you love me like you used to?"

He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me back against the counter. Grabbing my face, he slammed his lips down on mine.

"You're trying to change the subject." He murmured against my mouth.

"Working, isn't it?"

He let out a growl and tipped me over so I was laying on the counter now. One hand was tugging roughly through my hair and the other was inching it's way up my side.

"How did I ever manage to be away from you for so long?" His breath was hot against my neck.

Just as I had managed to unbutton his jeans and reached for the zipper, he jumped away from me and buttoned them back up.

Shaking my head, I attempted to clear my vision. "What, what's wrong?" I asked.

Running his hand over my cheek, he stepped away and laughed. "Your punishment for changing the subject." Pulling his shirt over his head, he tossed it in my face. "I think I'm going to go take a shower." With that he walked out of the kitchen, leaving me panting holding his shirt.

Arrogant bastard. He never would have done this to me back home in Chicago.

We passed the day by barely speaking to each other. We weren't angry, but I think the thought of a confrontation scared both of us. He wanted to have a long drawn-out chat about what had happened and what the future would hold, but I was not ready for that yet.

Michael asked if he could put Grayson to bed, so I told him that would be okay. They had bonded with each other in a way I never thought possible. Side by side, they really did look like father and son. Same eyes, same smile, Grayson's dark curls even matched what Mike's baby pictures looked like.

_Ring ring ring_

Who the hell would be calling me this late at night?

"Hello?" I answered, annoyed.

"Abbie? What's wrong?" I closed my eyes in relief.

"Oh, Linc. Nothing's wrong. I've been so worried about you. From now on you have to call me at least three times a day. Morning, noon and night."

He laughed. "You know, if you would just meet me down here you wouldn't have to worry so much."

"Not a chance pal."

"Abigail." Lincoln's tone turned serious. "I know there's things that you're not telling me, and I respect your privacy, but if you feel threatened by anything or anyone at all, you need to leave."

"Yes father. Whatever you say."

"Stop it. This is serious." He snapped at me. "Michael is still missing and I'm starting to get worried. Have you talked to him again?"

"You don't have to get snippy with me, Lincoln. I'm not a child and I sure as hell am not yours to boss around anymore."

Silence prevailed for a few moments while Lincoln let that sink in.

"I'm sorry." He finally said. "I just- Damnit, Abbie. You have no idea what you mean to me, do you? If something were to happen to you, I don't know what I would do. All I'm trying to do is keep you safe."

I sighed. Lincoln was good. He always knew what to say to me to get his way. "You know I love you too, Linc."

A cough behind me interrupted my train of thought. I turned and saw Michael leaning up against the kitchen door. His eyes were narrowed and his lips were pulled taut. Shaking his head at me, he turned and walked away.

"Shit!"

"What happened? Are you alright?" Lincoln shouted into the phone.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, Linc. But look, I have to go. Call me tomorrow okay?" I quickly hung up and darted after Michael.

I found him sitting on my bed, staring at his hands. They were clenched tight and his shoulders were shaking.

"Michael, I-" I began, but he jumped up and cut me off.

"Is that what this is all about? You don't want to tell Lincoln about us because you're still in love with him, not because you're worried about how he'll react." He stated this as fact and not as a question.

"You know what? You're right, Mike. I slept with you all those times just for fun. I lied when I told you that being without you made it where I can't breathe. I made love to you last night just to lead you on. You're absolutely right."

He threw his hands in the air, "Can you be serious for once?"

"I've been trying to be! How many times do I have to tell you that I am in love you, only you and you do not have anything to worry about between Lincoln and me? Yes, I love Linc. I love him immensely. He took care of me when no one cared; he loved me even though he did not have to. I will never forget that." I threw myself over his lap and buried my head in his chest. "But I don't want to be with him. I stopped feeling that way towards him a long time ago. I want to be with you, damnit. Every second of every day with you and only you."

His hand came up and stroked through my hair, "What if you find out that Grayson isn't mine?"

"I don't care. Won't change how I feel about you." I lifted my head and covered his cheeks with my hands. "You're stuck with me, Scofield. Forever."

Pulling me forward against his lips, he smiled. "Forever. I like the sound of that."

I pulled back and he frowned, "What now?"

I bit my lip before answering, "What will you do if Grayson isn't yours?"

Sighing, he leaned back on his elbows, "I can't say it won't complicate things, because you know as well as I do that it will. But I'm not going anywhere. Even if I'm not his father, I'll still be his uncle. And one day his step-father." He paused. "Wow, poor kids going to need therapy by the time he's three."

He pulled me down onto his chest. "The whole time we were apart I hated myself for it. I hated you for leaving me and I hated Lincoln for being free to love you all those years. But that's over now. We're together, we're going to stay together and nothing can take you away from me again. Either of you."

"There's just one little problem that you're forgetting."

"What?" He asked.

"There is the little breakout incident." I gently reminded him.

"No matter. I told you, if I have to drag you kicking and screaming to Mexico, I will. The government officials chasing me will stop at nothing to arrest me. If they have to hurt you to do it, they will with no second thought. Once they find out that Grayson was born just a few months after you left home, they will put two and two together. They may not realize there is a chance he could be mine, but they will assume he's Lincoln's. They know I did what I had to do to get him out of jail, they would have to know I would do twice that to save his son. Do you really want that?"

Swallowing hard, I shook my head. "Of course I don't want them anywhere near my baby, but if I run off it will just make it worse. I think I need to just sit it out and wait for them to lose interest in me. Eventually they'll probably get some random tip that you're halfway across the country or something and they'll let up."

"But what about us?"

"What about us, Michael?"

"I don't think you're realizing what you staying here means, Abbie. If you continue to live in the United States, we can never really be together. I can't stay here with you and be a happy little family. I'm on the run from the police, I can't stay in one place to long."  
I rolled over to look him in the eye, "But do you really think that's the kind of life I want for my child? To always be running, looking over his shoulder?"

He reached out to stroke my cheek, "We won't have to run forever. Once we find somewhere we want to stay, we can change our names, stay out of the spotlight and live our lives." He ran his lips over my hair. "Just the three of us."

"Why are you so damn persuasive? You could make me jump off a building."

He laughed and tightened his arms around me. "Does that mean you'll come with me willingly?"

"I don't know yet. Can I think about it some more?"

"You can think all you want, Abbie, but either way I'm going to have to leave here soon. I've already stayed longer than I should have. I'll probably leave sometime tomorrow. And you might as well just accept the fact that you're going with me."

I bit my lip. "That's to soon."

Michael smiled sadly and laid his hand over mine. "I meant what I said. Nothing is going to take you away from me again. I've lived without you for to long. I don't have the willpower to manage it for the rest of my life."

"I feel the same way, Michael." He let me have a few minutes of silence before speaking again. "What is your heart telling you to do?"

I looked up into his eyes. They were unwavering and screaming at me to trust him.

"It's telling me to do whatever I can to keep my family together.

"Good." He patted me on the bottom. "Now go take a shower. You smell like bologna and tears."

* * *

"Abbie…" A soft voice murmured. "Wake up baby."

"Umphhh." I grumbled into my pillow. "Just five more minutes Grayson."

A soft laugh was my reply. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not Grayson."

Raising my head sleepily, I remembered Michael falling asleep beside me last night. I smiled and wrapped myself around him. "Too early." I told him.

"Today's the day, Abbie girl. We need to get an early start."

With those words, my eyes popped open. "Shit!" I yelled. Jumping out of the bed, I quickly started grabbing all of our clothes together.

"Hey now," Michael said, standing up and stretching, the muscles in his back expanding with the movement. "No need to be in that big of a rush. I just mean we needed to be waking up soon." I didn't hear the last sentence as I was to busy eye raping the scene in front of me.

Michael turned around and caught me staring. Smiling naughtily, he pulled me into his arms and kissed me.

"Do you not remember my rule against pre-brushing kisses?" I asked against his lips.

"Don't care." He mumbled back.

"Mmm Michael. As much as I would like to continue this, Grayson is probably already awake." He pulled away from me and gave me a pouty expression.

I smacked his wandering hands away and smiled. "Sorry mister. If he doesn't get his breakfast as quickly as possible then he is one cranky little man for the rest of the day."

Scowling, Michael looked away. "Add another tally to Link's daddy chart." He rubbed his knuckles over the back of his neck.

"Michael…" I stopped, not knowing what to say to him. "I've told you that Grayson reminds me of both you and Link. Sure he has your brothers temper, but he can also be the sweetest, most gentle child you've ever met and you know that reminds me of you. Maybe when everything's said and done and Lincoln's proved innocent, then we can worry about getting a test done. But until then, are you really going to nitpick every little thing that little boy does looking for genetic traits?"

He tilted his head towards me and gave me a slight smile. "Sorry. I just really want him to be mine." He cupped my face in his hand. "No matter what the DNA results say, I couldn't love him any more than I do now."

"You love him?" I asked, grinning widely.

Michael pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around my waist. "Of course I love him. I love anything that comes from you."

"Mama!" I heard Grayson yell from his room.

"That's my cue." I stood up to go get him, but Michael grabbed my wrist.

"I'll get him." He offered. Before walking out, he softly kissed my forehead. "I want to help take care of him. You both belong to me and nothing will change that."

I watched him walk out of the room towards Grayson's bedroom. I wanted so badly to believe his words, but I had a sickening feeling in my stomach.

Bad things were to come.


	8. Chapter 8

"So how exactly do you propose we do this whole 'running away' thing?" I asked Michael as he finished wiping Grayson's oatmeal smeared face off.

He nuzzled Grayson's belly, gaining a loud giggle in response, before setting him gently on the ground. Grayson toddled quickly off to his room, to play with his cars no doubt.

"What do you mean?" Michael asked, placing the oatmeal bowl in the sink.

I rolled my eyes, "How is this supposed to happen? Do you really think we can just prance outside, climb into my car and ride off into the sunset?"

He turned to me and crossed his arms over his chest. "Of course I don't think that. I'm not stupid, Abbie." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a key. "I have a rental car stored at the parking garage you met me in. You'll take your car and meet me somewhere out of town and we will leave together."

"Why can't we take mine?" I asked.

His smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "Do you honestly think you're not being tracked? I don't know if you're important enough to them to have a guard on you, but I'm pretty sure they at least put a tracker on your car."

"You're the geek here, can't you just remove it?"

"Of course I can. But that would tip them off immediately. I would rather it take them awhile to realize you're missing so that we have a head start. I'm sure it will only be a matter of time before they find out about the rental car, but by then we should be far enough away that acquiring another one will be fool-proof."

I turned around and coughed, trying to cover a snort. "You should know by now that nothing in our lives is fool-proof."

His arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me towards him. "We'll manage." The words were whispered softly.

I finished cleaning up the breakfast dishes while Michael got Grayson dressed. There really wasn't a point in cleaning since we were going to be leaving everything behind, but the quiet routine kept my mind off of other things.

Lincoln called as I was packing as much as possible into an old duffel bag. Michael told me to pack lightly and most of the space in my bag was going towards Grayson's baby items that I couldn't bear to leave behind.

"Is there a reason you hung up without even saying goodbye last night, Abigail?" he demanded as soon as I answered. "You made me a nervous wreck all night thinking something had happened to you."

"Sorry, I had to do something. How's LJ?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

A breathy sigh was my response. "Your subject changes are infamous. But to answer your question, he's fine. Worried about you, of course. I told him as soon as everything has settled down that he could be in charge of sending for you. You know you could always just come right now." His tone was teasing, he knew I would never agree to that.

"I wish I could see you right now." I frowned. "You're staying safe, right?"

He laughed, "Aren't I always?"

"Not funny." I replied.

"Hey now baby girl. Don't worry about me. We are doing great and staying out of trouble. If Mike would get a hold of me, I would be at about ninety percent. When you get that stick out of your ass and meet us, all would be right in my world."

I laughed, Lincoln always knew how to make a serious situation into a joke. "I miss you Linc. You know that."

"Of course. I miss you, too. You, LJ and Michael are all I have. I wish I had all three of you hear with me right now." He paused. "I better get off here, there's a line forming behind me and I don't want to be very noticeable. I'll try to call you tonight, okay? I love you Abbie."

My eyes teared up, "I love you, too. Be safe." I rubbed my eyes as hard as I could when I hung up the phone. That would be the last time I would talk to him for a while, which worried me. I knew how upset he would be when I didn't answer tonight.

Michael's arms wrapped around me and turned me towards his chest, "Don't cry sweetheart." He murmured into my hair. "They're fine, they're safe. We're the ones who need all they help they can get right now." His hand rubbed soothing circles on my back as he gently held me in his arms. "What time were you supposed to be at work today?"

"Two." I managed to choke out.

"It's almost ten now, so lets just spend the last few hours at home together with no worries, okay? You go get Grayson and turn a cartoon on and relax while I finish packing anything we'll need."

I lifted my head so that I could look at him. "Am I going to work my shift?"

He softly wiped away the tears on my cheeks before answering, "No, you're going to pretend to head to work and meet me out of town. If you wasn't supposed to be home until tonight, we have all afternoon to drive before they get worried about where you're at."

I swallowed, "But what about the baby?"

"He's going to go with me. If someone is watching the house, they might get suspicious if you leave for work with him. We'll sneak out the back door with all the bags and head towards the car." He smiled. "We can have a little bit of me and him time so he gets more comfortable with me, too."

His smile was so excited that it burned away some of the sadness I was feeling.

"I think he's as comfortable as he could possibly get with you, Mike. You've played with him, fed him, put him to bed, everything that I do for him, he lets you do." I frowned. "You've been a father to him."

Tilting my chin up with his thumb he asked, "Does that upset you?"

"No, of course not!" His crumpled face had hurt me. "It's just that I don't want him to be confused, if you know, Lincoln is his daddy. Would you want someone else to claim ownership of your child before you had a chance to?"

"You do know that regardless of what a test says that I will treat him as if I was his real dad right?"

I reached up and cupped his face, his eyes were earnestly staring into mine, "I know that. I just want to find out before we assume anything. Grayson deserves to know who his daddy is and Lincoln has to know the truth."

He nodded, backing up a little. "I'm going to start bagging up some food for the road. The less stops the better. Go spend some time with Grayson and I'll be in there in a little bit okay?" I nodded and he kissed me gently on the forehead.

I let Grayson pick what we watched on TV, of course he picked Sesame Street. He had a big Elmo fetish as did most toddlers. We were halfway through the show when Michael came into the living room and sat down beside me. Grayson gave him a big grin before turning his attention back to Big Bird on the screen.

"All done?" I whispered, so I would not disturb Grayson.

He nodded and wrapped his arm around me. "I packed as much dry food as possible so that it won't go bad. We can always grab other stuff as we get gas along the way."

His fingers were absentmindedly playing with a few strands up my hair. "What's wrong baby?"

A large sigh was my response. "Just thinking. Don't worry about it. Listen, I'm going to go lay down and sleep for a couple hours, okay? I don't want to be to tired on the road. Wake me up about thirty minutes before you usually leave." He didn't wait for my response and quickly got up and walked away.

I blinked back a tear, wondering what was wrong with him.

Grayson and I spent the rest of the morning watching TV and playing with his toys in his room. Michael had shut the bedroom door so I couldn't look in on him and make sure he was okay.

I fixed Grayson his last lunch at the only home he had ever known. I made his favorite of fish sticks, crackers and strawberry yogurt. I set a plate in the oven for Michael since I was sure he would be hungry when he woke up. I was too nervous to eat, so I just picked at mine. Grayson gulped his down, only barely swallowing so I let him have what was left of my plate.

When we were done, I washed the dishes. What for I don't know, but I wanted my son's last day here to be as normal as possible and if washing the dishes helped calm me, then all the better.

At a little after one, I decided it was about time to start getting ready for the day. I dressed Grayson in warm clothes and set his coat and boots by the back door since that was where Michael would be leaving from. I told Grayson to stay in his room for a few minutes while I went over to Mrs. Peters house. She would be worried if she showed up to babysit and we wasn't there.

"Well hello dear!" She exclaimed when she opened the door. "Am I late? I thought I wasn't supposed to show up until 1:45?"

"Don't worry, you're not late. I just wanted to ask a little favor of you if that would be alright?" My nerves were jumping. If she turned against me right now, everything would be over for us. All my trust was going into her.

"Anything for you Abigail! You know that. Is Grayson at home?" I nodded. She grabbed her coat and boots and started putting them on. "Let me come to your house then. It's to cold for you to stand out there on my steps and I know you don't want to come in and leave him alone in the house."

I thanked her and helped her down the steps and over into my house.

She slipped her boots off onto my rug and sunk down on my couch. "It's to cold for an old woman like me outside."

"Do you want me to make you some coffee? Or hot chocolate?" I asked.

Waving me away, she wriggled her toes and rubbed her hands together. "I'm just being overly dramatic, don't worry about me." She patted the seat next to her. "Now tell me what's going on with you."

Biting my lip, I considered just how much I should tell her. "I'm going to ask something of you and I know that it won't make much sense right now, but I promise to explain it all to you one day." I hesitated. "Grayson and I are leaving."

She grabbed my hand, "What? For good?" I nodded, closing my eyes. "Where are you going? Are you in some sort of trouble? What can I do to help?"

Shaking my head, I patted her hand. "We're not in trouble, but a friend of mine is." I let out a small smile in the direction of my bedroom. "A very close friend. And he needs our help."

Mrs. Peters waved my explanation away. "As long as you keep that little angel safe, I don't need to know anymore. Just tell me what it is that you need."  
I exhaled a long, much-needed sigh of relief. "I need you to stay here today and pretend that you're baby-sitting even though we won't be here."

She sat up and shrugged off her coat. "Well I guess I should make myself comfortable then, eh?"

Leaning over, I hugged her tight to me. "Thank you so much. You will never know how much this means to me."

"Abigail, you are a great person and an even better mother. I know that whatever is going on, you will do what's right." She smiled at me and grabbed the remote. "Now go away, I'm missing my soap."

I laughed and stood up. I told Grayson it was okay to come out of his room and that Mrs. Peters was here to say goodbye to him before I woke Michael up.

Standing in front of my bedroom door, I took a deep breath before opening it. Michael lay on his stomach in the middle of the bed, clad only in his jeans. The tattoos I saw spread across his back and arms still took my breath away. I gingerly sat down beside him and watched him sleep for a few minutes. His eyes were shut tight and his fists were clenched in the bed sheet. Whatever he was thinking about was not happy thoughts.

I rubbed my hand over his short hair. "Michael," I whispered, not wanting to startle him awake. "Mike, baby, wake up."

His eyelids fluttered for a moment before they slowly opened. "Hey." His voice was thick with sleep.

"Feel any better?" I asked, rubbing my hand down his arm.

He groaned and stretched before answering. I turned my head away so that I didn't have to see the way his back rippled.

"What time is it?" He asked sleepily.

"About twenty till two. Do you want me to put my uniform for work on?"

He nodded. "Go ahead and head into work while I get Grayson and the car ready to go. I will call you with an emergency in about an hour, that way no one gets suspicious when you don't show up."

I bit my lip and turned away.

"What's the matter?" He asked, sitting up to lay his head on my shoulder.

I breathed him in before answering. "I'm just worried, nervous, scared… If we get caught Michael, I would lose Grayson over this." I closed my eyes before the tears could come.

"Hey," he whispered, wrapping his arms around my waist. "It's all going to work out, I promise. I've been without you for to long, I won't let anything keep us apart again." He cupped my face in his hands and kissed my lips softly. "You know I would do anything to protect you, right?" I nodded. "I would give my own life for yours, Abbie. And nothing, NOTHING, will separate us from Grayson."

"Why were you so cold to us earlier?" I asked, not quite sure I wanted to know the answer.

He sighed again, "You have enough to worry about right now. Don't worry about anything else."  
I narrowed my eyes and was prepared to retort when he stood up and headed towards the door.

"Michael, wait!" I exclaimed. He froze and gave me a panicked look. "I forgot to tell you something." I hurriedly closed the door and stood against it so he couldn't dart out. "Mrs. Peters, the woman who baby-sits Grayson is here."

"God, Abbie! Why did-"

"Just hear me out, Mike." I interrupted him. "I've already explained some of the situation to her and she is okay with it. Don't you think it will look suspicious if I leave for work and no one's here to watch my son? She had to come over to make it look normal."

His posture relaxed. Some.

"And did you tell her about me?"

"I told her that someone close to me needed my help." I pressed my hand over his heart. "Someone important to me. She said that was all she needed to know. She's a good woman and wouldn't rat us out for anything."

His hand closed around mine. "If you trust her, I trust her." He dipped his head down to mine. Before his lips could make contact, I pushed him away.

"I have to be at work in ten minutes, Mike. If you start that, I can guarantee I will be late." He raised his hands and backed away, smirking.

"It's a nice change from you pretending that I have no effect on you." He stated, remembering our relationships beginnings.

* * *

_Flashback_

_**BEEP**_

_"I've wanted this for so long." He mumbled against my lips. "You have no idea how good you taste." His hand snaked possessively up my back._

_"M-Michael," It was becoming increasingly difficult to concentrate with his body pressed so tight against mine. The addition of his roaming hands and overly friendly mouth was enough to drive a person mad._

_I tried again, "Michael!"_

_He paid me no attention, continuing to kiss and touch every part of me he could._

_I let him continue for awhile, but then I heard it again._

_**BEEP**_

_"Hey!" I managed to push him off of me. "Geez, Mike."_

_His breathing was ragged, his pupils dilated. "Problem?" He gasped out._

_"My phone is beeping." I jumped off the bed in search of it, finding it under the coffee table. It showed I had a new voicemail._

_Hey babe, it's me. I got off work early and came home to surprise you. Where are you at? Call me as soon as you get this."_

_"Who was it?" Michael asked, fixing his shirt._

_"Lincoln," I sighed. "He's looking for me." I started gathering up my shoes and jacket._

_Michael pulled a shoe out of my hand. "Now, now. Where do you think you're going?" He grabbed my hips and yanked me back towards him._

_"Come on Mike, don't be stupid. I have to go." I pushed him away again._

_I saw his eyes flash and he clenched his fists. "So you're choosing him over me, is that it?"_

_Rolling my eyes, I picked my shoe back up. "Of course I'm going home to Lincoln. He's my boyfriend. That's my home. This is my life Mike."_

_There was a slight tic in his jaw. "You can't tell me that this is what you want."_

_"Does anybody ever really want to cheat on their boyfriend?"_

_He sighed and sat down on the couch. "That's not what I meant. Do you really want to leave me?" A hand raised to my face and trailed down my neck and over my collarbone. His tongue darted out to wet his lips, making my eyes lock on them. A movement he no doubt caught by the smirk on his face._

_"Abbie," He murmured, grabbing my hand and bringing it up to his mouth. He kissed each of my knuckles before opening my fist and placing one last soft kiss on my palm. "I don't want you to leave yet."_

_I closed my eyes and pulled my hand away. "I have to."_

_He let out one last try. "Please don't leave me. Not to go home to Lincoln. Tell me what I can do to convince you to stay with me."_

_I smiled and kissed his cheek. "Goodbye Michael."_

_End Flashback_

* * *

I watched Michael pull his shirt over his head. I handed him an old hoodie from my closet to help cover his tattoos. Mrs. Peters was understanding, but I knew the woman could only take so much.

"Ready?" I asked.

He smiled at me, "Ready."


	9. Chapter 9

We walked out of the bedroom, hand in hand, to greet Mrs. Peters. She gave Michael a quick once-over and nodded her approval.

"So this must be the close, personal friend of yours." She said, winking at me.

Michael smiled and stuck out his hand, "Nice to meet you, I'm Michael." They shook and she turned her attention to me.

"Whatever you two have planned, I don't want to hear a single detail. The less I know the better, but just remember that I'm always here for you if you need anything. Now One Life to Live is almost over and if I miss the ending Karen Thomas is never going to let me live it down."

We laughed and left her to her show. Michael went back into the bedroom to put his shoes on and I gathered my work stuff out of the kitchen. I knew the apron and name tag were useless since I was going to be leaving work almost immediately after I arrived, but I put them on anyway to avoid suspicion.

When I was done, I grabbed Grayson, who was in the floor by Mrs. Peters feet looking at a storybook.

"Mommy is going to head to work now, okay baby? You be a good boy until I see you again." He shook his head and tried to wiggle out of my arms.

"Hope that's not a sign of what the evening has in store." Michael commented, coming back into the room. He had our bags in his arms and a baseball cap pulled down low on his head.

I swallowed and looked down at my baby.

"Don't let anything happen to either of you, okay?"

He pulled me to his chest and wrapped his arms around my waist. "I swear it." He whispered into my ear.

Letting him go, I cleared my throat and backed up. "I better head into work. Have you thought of a way to get me out? It might be a little suspicious if a man calls looking for me."

"I will do it." Mrs. Peters spoke up. "I can say that Grayson is sick and that you need to head home right away." She eyed Michael sharply. "I'm trusting you with two of the people who are most important in my life."

He met her eyes with a steady stare. "These two ARE my life."

"Then I have no qualms about helping. You need to go Abigail, it's almost two." She gave me a brisk hug and patted my back. "Even though I don't know your reasons, I know you're doing what you need to do, so good luck." She turned and sat back down, but not before I saw that her eyes were glistening.

Michael stopped me before I reached the door. "When you get the call, head out of town. There's an abandoned gas station about ten minutes south of here, do you know where it's at?" I nodded. "That's where we'll be waiting. Keep going and we will be right behind you. We need to leave your car as far out of town as we can." He pulled a cell phone out of his pocket. "This is a pay as you go phone so it should be untraceable. I will call you when you need to stop. Are you going to be able to do this?"

I let out a large breath and grabbed the phone. "You promised nothing will keep us apart anymore, are you planning on breaking your promise?"

The corner of his mouth lifted up in a smile. "That's my girl." He leaned down and brushed a light kiss over my lips. "See you soon."

"Keep my son safe." I whispered back and turned and walked away.

I tried not to start crying on the way to work, but almost failed. I knew that Mike would do whatever he could to keep Grayson safe, but that did not stop me from worrying about all the "what-ifs".

"Abigail!" Terry yelled at me as soon as I walked in. "Your shift started five minutes ago, where the hell have you been?"

"Grayson didn't feel very well." I replied, clenching my fists. Terry had had it in for me the second I started.

"Yeah well, I don't pay you to play nurse at home. Next time you're fired."

The only thing saving him from having a broken nose was knowing that there wouldn't be a next time.

I just rolled my eyes and grabbed a rag from behind the counter. Those tables weren't going to clean themselves, might as well pass the time until Mrs. Peters calls with something to do.

For the next hour every time the phone rang, I would jump and my heart would start pounding. Finally, a little after three, Terry hollered at me from the back. "Houston, phone!"

I hurriedly ran to the back and grabbed it from him. "Hello?"

"Hello dear, it's Mrs. Peters. I just thought you might want to know that Grayson was still feeling under the weather. I think he might need to be heading to the doctors." She sounded like she was reading from a script, which knowing Michael, he had made for her.

"I'll be right home. Thank you."

I hung up and took a deep breath. This is it, it all starts now. Terry was standing beside me with a pissed look in his eyes. "What do you mean, you'll be right home? You still have the rest of the day to work, girlie."

Taking off my apron, I shrugged, "My little boy is sick and I have to take him to the doctor."

He grabbed my arm as I was walking away. "I never told you that you could leave." His hand squeezed me harder when I tried to shake him off. "If you want to keep your job, I suggest you call back and say you can't make it."

Smiling, I unclasped my name tag and handed it and the apron to him. "Music to my ears, Terry. Now fuck off."

With that, I turned and walked out the door. Getting in my car, I breathed a deep sigh of relief. Step one was over and on the off chance no one noticed I was missing tonight, tomorrow would go easy, too. Since me losing my job was so sudden, I was sure the ass hats in suits wouldn't know about it for at least a few days. Being gone all day tomorrow shouldn't look so suspicious.

"Now or never." I said, smiling to myself knowing that my boys were waiting on me.

I started the car and headed out towards the edge of town. Too scared to turn my radio on, I sat in silence, more "what-if" thoughts running through my head. A few minutes outside of the Buffalo city-limits, I saw the gas station Michael was talking about in the distance. There was a small brown car parked in the lot. My heart sped up with the knowledge that he was waiting for me.

"Mommy loves you Grayson." I whispered as I passed. I could see Michael's face in the window, my little boy safely tucked in a car seat in the back.

My rear view mirror showed the car pulling out onto the road behind me, staying a few cars back. I kept driving, not knowing where or when I was supposed to stop.

About five minutes later, the cell phone started ringing. I picked it up from the passenger seat where I had sat it and answered, "Mike?"

"There's a doctors office about five blocks down on the right. Pull in and jump in the car as fast as possible, okay? You're doing great, Abbie. We love you."

"Okay. I love you, too. Tell my baby I will see him in a minute." I replied, before he hung up.

The sign for the doctor's office was in my eyesight, so I quickly gathered the phone back into my purse and undid my seat belt while I drove. I knew Michael wanted us to drop the car and leave without anyone seeing us. I pulled in and parked as far back from the road as I could in the parking lot. I jumped out and ran over to the passenger side of Michael's rental car.

"Momma!" Grayson squealed when I got in.

I turned around and gave his foot a squeeze. "Hello my sweet boy, did you have fun with Michael?"

Michael grinned at me as we pulled back out onto the highway. "He told me he wants ice cream."

"Cream now!" He yelled.

"I told you we would stop and get some a little bit later, buddy." Michael answered.

"How did you know there was a doctors office here?" I asked.

He chuckled, "Well, whenever I wasn't stalking you at your house, I was out making a plan for us leaving. I planned the route and was gathering supplies for us."

"I wondered where you were all day."

"Did you really think I was only coming after you when it was convenient? The whole time I was in prison all I thought about was escaping and coming after you."

I smiled at him, "So sure of yourself, eh?"

"Not sure, but definitely determined."

The road was busy so we had to stay under the speed limit, but I could tell he was itching to get out of town and speed us away by the way his hands were clenching on the steering wheel.

I lifted my arm to lay my hand on his leg. "Relax, Mike. We did it."

"It's not over yet, trust me." His jaw was tight. "These people… There's one man who has made it his life's mission to get to me. I've managed to elude him pretty easily so far, but…" He trailed off.

Squeezing his leg, I smiled at him, "You'll keep us safe. I trust you."

He reached down and laced his fingers with mine. "I hope that you don't regret that."

Eight hours, three gas stops and countless bathroom breaks later, we were entering the city of Louisville, Kentucky. I had fallen asleep somewhere in Ohio, but the couple hours of rest didn't matter much in this tiny car. I glanced over at Michael and saw that his eyes were starting to get heavy. Grayson had passed out over two hours ago and my legs were starting to get cramped.

"Why don't we stop here and get a motel?" I suggested.

He shook his head, "We need to keep going for a few more hours. They'll be checking every rest stop in an eight hour radius from Buffalo looking for you since that's how long most people drive without stopping."

"Let me drive for a little bit then." He opened his mouth to protest, but I jumped in to stop him. "Look at you, baby, you can barely keep your eyes open." I cupped his cheek, "Let me help."

Closing his eyes, he breathed deeply, "Just for a couple hours. I don't want you driving while sleepy."

He pulled off into the nearest gas station and we jumped out. Meeting me halfway, he enveloped me in his arms.

"I haven't got to kiss you in hours, I'm going through withdraws." He sighed.

"However did you manage the last couple years?" I laughed.

"Well, getting thrown in prison was one way of dealing with it."

He leaned down and gave me a light kiss before letting go to get in the car.

I pulled back out onto the highway and drove for a few miles in silence. When I glanced over at him to ask if he was hungry, I saw that he was already asleep. I shook my head, knowing he was near exhaustion from everything he had been through the last couple weeks. I didn't know where he had been sleeping before he stayed at my house, but I knew it wasn't a five-star hotel and that he only slept when he had to.

Driving while being the only person awake was lonely. Michael had a map out, so I knew which way to head, but I still drove like a grandmother the whole time, worried I would miss an exit and lose us precious minutes.

In a little under three hours, I had traveled the rest of the way across Kentucky and was a few miles away from the border of Tennessee. Knowing I could not keep driving safely, I stayed on the lookout for a motel. Michael had amassed a little bit of money, but the cheaper we could get away with, the better.

When I spotted a Motel 6, I thanked the stars and pulled in.

"Mike." I whispered, nudging his shoulder. "Hey Scofield, wake up."

He jerked upright and looked around in alarm.

"What's wrong? Where are we?"

"We're at a motel, I'm getting a little tired."

Visibly relaxing, he sank back against the seat. "Just give me a minute to wake up and I'll drive some more."

"NO." I all but yelled at him, "You only got a few hours of sleep and I know you haven't been sleeping much lately. We are going to go in there and sleep on a bed, dammit."

"Yes ma'am." He replied sarcastically, saluting me.

I unbuckled my seat belt and opened the door, "Your sarcasm has been noted, Mr. Scofield. I'll be right back."

I went in and rented the cheapest room they had, which I hoped was not too seedy for Grayson's sake. When I got back out to the car, Mike was standing beside it with the baby securely against his chest and was gently rocking him to keep him asleep. He didn't know I was there, so I took a moment to admire the beautiful scene in front of me.

"He loves you already, you know."

His head jerked up in surprise before realizing it was me, "He's a great kid. I wish I could have been there when you had him."

Smiling sadly, I grabbed our bags from the trunk, "Yeah well, every love story has rough parts, right?"

"I would have been there, you know that right?"

"If you had been with me, you wouldn't have gave up your life to save your brother. Everything happens for a reason, I guess."

"Abbie?" He asked, as I was walking off.

"Hmm?" I replied, not turning around. I could hear his footsteps trying to catch up to me.

"When we get to Panama, I want to get married."

That made me drop our bags in front of our room.

"You want to _what_?" I asked, incredulously.

He grabbed the door key with his free hand and swung it open. After laying Grayson down in the middle of the bed, he turned back to me and grabbed my hands.

"I want to marry you. I want you to be my wife."

"I just… I don't know what to say, Michael." He had genuinely shocked me with his question.

"Say yes." His voice was even, but his hands clenched mine a little harder than normal. "This time."

* * *

_Flashback_

"_You look so beautiful wearing my shirt." He said, grinning at me._

_I rolled my eyes, "You just like marking your territory, Scofield." _

_He rolled over and laid his body on top of mine, "Is that what you are? My territory?"_

_Deciding not to answer, I leaned up and kissed along his chest, but he pushed me back down and forced me to look at him._

"_I asked you a question Abigail." _

"_You know how I feel about you, Michael. I shouldn't have to keep reassuring you of it."_

_Intense green eyes blazed back at me as his hands squeezed my arms, "Tell me that you belong to me."_

_Sighing, I told him what he wanted to hear, "I'm yours, Mike. Only yours."_

_His mouth met mine in a forceful kiss. Hands forced my shirt upwards and over my head. Deserting my lips, he started to move south down my neck. "Mine." He growled against my skin._

"_Say it again." He demanded._

"_Yours." I breathed. _

"_Say that you love me." His mouth was now giving attention to my collarbone._

"_I love you." Biting down, he made me gasp and I lifted my hips up to meet his, "God, I love you."_

_Using his leg to spread my knees apart, he moved his hands to my hips. _

"_Tell me you love me more than him." It wasn't a question._

_I shook my head and tried to push him off me, "I can't do that and you know it."_

"_Why?" His eyes looked hurt and I hated myself for saying that._

"_Lincoln is my boyfriend."_

_He shook his head, "I don't care. That doesn't mean anything to me. It has nothing to do with how much you love someone." He pressed his forehead against mine. "Do you love me more than him?" _

_I swallowed, not trusting myself to answer. The answer to that was easy, but saying it out loud would only hurt innocent people in the end._

"_Please." He pleaded._

"_Yes." I whispered._

_Closing his eyes, he let out a cocky smile. "Tell me you love me more than him." He repeated._

"_I love you more than I love Lincoln." I mumbled._

_He forced his lips back on mine and pressed his hips into me._

_A few hours later, I heard my phone alarm go off, letting me know it was time to go back home to Lincoln. When I tried to move out of Michael's arms, he tightened them around my waist. _

"_Don't leave." He grumbled._

"_I have to go. Linc will be home soon and I have to be there before him." I stood up and removed his shirt to put mine back on. His eyes followed my moves, a deep line in his forehead. I knew what he was upset about._

"_I can't wear it home, Mike. He's already acting suspicious of me. This would put him over the edge."_

"_Let him see it. What are you afraid of? If he kicks you out, you would come live with me."_

_Throwing the shirt at his head, I pulled my pants and shirt back on. "Yeah, that would end well. 'Hey Linc, so not only have I been sleeping with your brother for the past two years, but I am in love with him and we're moving in together!'" _

_He grabbed my arms and pulled me back onto his lap. "Well, if you're going to go all out, might as well tell him we're getting married, too."_

_I snorted, "Now you're just trying to be confrontational."_

_He pulled back and stared at me, "Do I look like I was joking?"_

_My mouth opened to reply, but his expression stopped me. The brow was furrowed, the jaw was set, yep, that was Mike's serious face. Frowning, I shook my head at him. _

"_What are you getting at, Scofield?"_

"_Will. You. Marry. Me." _

_I jumped up and backed towards the door, escaping his reaching arms._

"_Abbie-" He started._

"_Tell me this is just a joke." _

_His eyes softened at my scared tone. Damn right I was scared. Shitless. _

"_I'm not joking, Abbie. I want to marry you. Say yes."_

_Grabbing my purse from the dresser, I shook my head at him and forced the tears back._

"_NO." I replied, walking out._

* * *

"Michael… I…"

"Just say yes." He pleaded again.

I swallowed hard before looking him back in the eyes.

"Yes."


	10. Chapter 10

**Here is the newest chapter! I went back and condensed a lot of the other chapters, re-wrote a lot of it and even managed to delete a whole chapter. This whole chapter is all brand new material. Hope the few people I still have reading this story likes it!**

* * *

I woke up the next morning with a smile on my face. No matter what, I was with the two people I loved more than anything and on my wait to meet up with my other two favorite people. I had a man who loved me and a healthy, beautiful son. It's funny how you can be so happy when everything in your life was falling apart. There was no way I could ever go back to my life before. We were all fugitives.

"You look happy." Michael whispered from across the bed. We had slept with Grayson between us so he wouldn't fall off.

I looked over at him and saw a smile gracing his face, too. We were both smiling for the same reason. Here we were, away from the world, snug in our bed with our perfect son between us.

My smile fell as I realized the error of my thought.

"Hey," He brushed his hand across my forehead. "Why the frown? This is the second day in a row we've been lucky enough to wake up next to each other. And you finally agreed to marry me. Nothing sad about that."

Grayson stirred at our voices and rolled over to his belly. Michael removed his hand from my face to rub his hands through Grayson's curls.

"I will do anything to protect you both, you know that right?"

Nodding, I wondered why he brought that up now.

"Abbie, look at me." His voice was a command. "I want you to know that now, before we get very far into this. You two come first to me. Above Lincoln, above the law, above myself."

I shook my head, but he interrupted me, "No. You know how much I love you. I just wanted you to know I will protect you through this."

The fact that he was telling me he would lay down his life for us worried me. No matter how scary this was, I didn't even want to think about all of us not making it through to the end.

Michael sighed and rubbed his eyes, "It's 5:30 already. We better be heading out soon. There's a long day of driving ahead of us."

"I hate that Grayson's going to be in the car for so long. He's going to be a very crabby kid all day." I pointed out.

"This should be our last full day in the car, so we just have to get through this day." He replied, standing up and stretching. The sight of his chest covered in ink would never cease to surprise me. Michael was the definition of upright citizen back in Chicago, never in trouble, never stirring the pot. And overnight he became a tattooed convict.

"What are you thinking about?" He asked, catching my stare.

I shook my head, "Just realizing that you're a lot more like your brother than you ever noticed."

He smiled, "Is that why you couldn't choose between us? We're both too alike?"

I clucked my tongue at him, "You know that's not true." Standing up, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him to me. "From the moment you first kissed me, Michael. That was when I chose you."

"That's my girl." He said, brushing his lips across mine. "Why don't you get Grayson up while I get all our stuff ready to go?"

"Mama?" I heard a little voice call from the bed. I turned to see him rubbing his eyes and looking around. "Home?" He asked, confused.

"No baby, we're not home. We're going on a trip, remember? Just you, me and Michael." I gathered him up in my arms and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "Are you hungry?"

While I fed Grayson, Michael got our bags closed and put by the door. After he emerged from the bathroom in clean clothes he nodded at me.

"Go ahead and get ready, I'll finish with Grayson." I smiled at him in thanks before heading towards the bathroom. Thankfully, Michael had thought to leave out an outfit for me and Grayson to change in to.

After cleaning Grayson off and changing his diaper and his clothes, we were ready to hit the road. We knew we had to appear normal when we left, but it was so hard not to run towards the car and speed off.

I took the key back while Michael got the baby into his seat and the bags in the trunk. By the time I left the office he was waiting by the door ready to go.

He took my hand and gave me a small smile before putting it in gear.

"You okay?" He asked, concerned.

I squeezed his hand, "Better than okay. Let's go."

* * *

"Why are we stopping here?" I asked later that evening, confused why Michael had pulled into a library parking lot.

"Before we broke out, our group devised a way to stay in contact in case something happened. " Michael explained. "There's a website we all agreed to check every few days for messages. I'm going to try and send Lincoln a code that we are coming and where and when to meet us."

"And you're positive no one else knows about this website?" I asked him, uncertainly.

He nodded before slipping out of the car. "Don't worry." He said, leaning into the window. "It's completely safe."

But I wasn't as sure as I watched him go into the library. Nothing about this plan was completely safe, no matter how good of a planner Michael was.

I turned back to Grayson who was happily snacking on a cracker. His messy little grin made my doubt ease a little.

"Mama!" He shouted excitedly, covering one eye with his clean hand.

I took the hint and we played peek-a-boo until Michael came back.

"We all good?" I questioned as he got his seat belt back on.

"All set." He answered, getting us back on the road. "I let him know we should be in Mexico in the next day or so."

"Is he going to meet us there?" I asked, wondering about all the hidden aspects of Michael's plan.

"No, not yet. We're going to catch a plane that will take us to Panama and that's where Lincoln and LJ are."  
"How are we going to get in to Mexico anyways?" I asked. "Won't the border guards be alerted to us by now?"

"Definitely. That's why I've hired someone to smuggle us in." He said this very nonchalantly.

"What?" I exclaimed. "We are going to smuggle my 18 month old son through the border?" I could feel my blood pressure quickly rising.

"**Our**18 month old son." He turned his dark glare towards me. "I'm either his father or his step-father. That makes him my responsibility, too."

I put my hand over the one clenching the steering wheel. "I'm sorry. Our son. But isn't there any other way than by smuggling him in?"

He took his hand off the wheel and laced his fingers through mine. "If there was an easier way, you know I would do it, Abbie. I don't like this any more than you do, but when I planned all this out I wasn't accounting for a child along with us."

Even though I understood, it still didn't make it any more comfortable.

"Just keep our little boy safe." I whispered.

"I swear it." He replied back.

"Are you getting hungry?" He asked a few minutes later.

"I'm starving." It was already close to ten PM and we had been living off snack food since lunch time.

"There's supposed to be a small town about eight miles up. We should probably stop and rest up for tomorrow."

Tomorrow when we were supposed to hit the Mexican border.

Where we were going to do god knows what to get through.

"What do you say, little guy?" Michael asked, turning to smile at Grayson in the back seat. "How does some pizza sound?"

"Eat!" Grayson yelled back, encouragingly.

We pulled in to the Super 8 just off the Interstate. Michael got Grayson and our bags out while I went inside and bought a room.

"The desk clerk said there is a Pizza Hut just up the street that will deliver to the motel." I informed him as I met them back at the car.

"Even better. We won't even have to leave the motel." He answered as we headed towards our room.

"I got us double beds this time." I said, putting the card through the slot. "Maybe we'll sleep better without the baby kicking and elbowing us all night."

The room wasn't anything special. Just the two beds, a dresser and a TV with a stand. But it was so nice to be out of the car that I would have gladly taken any room available.

"Do you care to order while I go ahead and give him a bath?" I asked, dumping my bag on the bed.

"No, go ahead. He looks so exhausted that I don't think he'll even be up for the food anyway." He replied, rubbing his hand over Grayson's back.

By the time I had finished with his bath his eyes were droopy and he could barely lift his head off my shoulder. I quickly put his pajama's on and bundled him into bed with pillows on all sides of him.

"He out already?" Michael whispered, coming over to stand beside me.

"Not yet, but he's almost there. I'll turn the TV on to give him some background noise." I replied. "He'll never go to sleep listening to us talking."

It was to late for cartoons, but I was able to find a music channel. As soon as the first notes hit Grayson's ears he was out like a light.

"Did you order yet?" I asked Michael, my stomach growling in agreement.

He smiled, "It should be here in about ten minutes. Do you want to take a shower before it gets here?"

"Yes." I replied, relieved. "I feel all scummy from being in the car all day."

I grabbed my bag to take into the bathroom with me. The water felt amazing and it was so nice to put on clean clothes. I smiled when I pulled out my pajama shirt. It was an old faded t-shirt of Michael's that I had stolen long before we started our relationship.

When I came out Michael was standing at the window, peering through the curtain.

"Is someone out there?" I asked.

"No," He answered, dropping his hand and turning around. "Just loo- _wow_."

His eyes dropped down to where the bottom of my shirt touched my thighs. He let his eyes travel up a little before cocking his head to the side. "Is that my shirt?"

"Maybe." I stepped closer to him. "Do you want it back?"

His gaze darkened. "When did you take it?"

"Hmmm." I said, tapping my chin. "About three years ago, I'd say." I took another step towards him. "It was raining one night when I came over. You let me wear it and I just forgot to give it back when I left."

Michael closed his eyes and was silent for a moment. "You've been wearing my clothes for the last three years and I am just now learning about it?"

"Life is full of little surprises, Michael." I grabbed the pizza box off the dresser and sprawled out on the bed. "Let's eat. I'm hungry."

Sighing, he sat down beside me. "You're a tease, Abigail."

"You love it."

I dropped the pizza box in front of us and we ate half of it like starving men before we spoke again.

"I'm about to burst." I groaned, throwing myself back on the bed, not aware that throwing my arm over my eyes apparently made my shirt ride up even more.

Michael's eyes lowered to where my shirt had landed on my hips. He brought his fingers up to his mouth and licked the sauce off his fingers. My gaze locked on to his lips as he slowly sucked on them one-by-one.

"Mike…" I breathed.

He jumped up and headed towards the bathroom. "I'm going to go take my shower now."

"Who's the tease now, Scofield?" I growled at him.

He popped his head back out the door and winked at me. "Life is full of surprises, Abbie."

While Michael was in the shower, I picked up the room a little. I packed our dirty clothes up and put the leftover pizza in the mini fridge under the TV. It would have to serve for breakfast in the morning, too. I turned the lamp off and was pulling the covers on the bed back when Michael emerged.

My breath caught as I caught sight of the jeans serving as the lone pair of clothing he was wearing.

His tattoos were illuminated by the glow from the TV. When he turned around, I noticed one I hadn't yet seen.

"Wait." I said, standing up. "Turn back around!"

"Why?" He asked, trying to peer over his shoulder. "Do I have something on me?"

"A heart, Michael. You have a heart on you. An orange heart." I said, stunned.

Orange was my favorite color. He knew that.

"Why do you have an orange heart tattooed on you? How did that aid in your escape plan?"

"Abbie," He murmured, stepping closer. "That was the most important aspect of the escape plan." He wrapped his around my wais and jerked me towards him. "It kept me on track and gave me motivation."

Pressing the length of his body against mine, he started to slowly back me towards the bed.

"You got it for me?" I whispered, just before I felt the bed hit the back of my knees.

Michael smiled. But it wasn't the same quiet, shy smile he normally gave me. It was darker.

Full of promises.

"No." He said, pushing me back onto the bed. "I got it for us." He stated, crawling up my body. His head hovered mere centimeters above mine. "The only thing that kept me sane in prison was knowing that when I got out, I was going to find you and never let you out of my sight again."

"You sound so sure of the outcome, you smug bastard."

"I got used to getting what I want." He stated, the left side of his mouth curling up into a smirk.

Lifting his hand from my waist, he reached down and let his knuckles casually drift across my thigh.

I bit the inside of my cheek, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of winning.

He laughed, "Abbie, Abbie, Abbie. Haven't we already played this game?" His hand inched up farther, sliding under the hem of my shirt.

I gripped the sheets under me when I felt his hand drift along the seam of my panties.

"Oh no you don't." He said, unfurling my fists and wrapping them around his back. His skin was still slightly warm and damp from the shower.

I narrowed my eyes at him. Two can play this game, I thought to myself. I clumsily flipped us over so I was on top.

"Playing dirty now, huh?" He glared, but his eyes were shining so I knew this was what he had wanted the whole time.

"Just putting an end to your stupid game, Scofield." I shot back. "If you want me writhing under you and moaning your name all you really had to do was ask."

Before he could reply, I quickly closed the distance between us and captured his lips in mine. I could feel the heat of his skin through my shirt and it was driving me crazy.

He must have had the same thought, because I felt him tugging on the bottom of my shirt trying to pull it over my head. My hands were shaking, but I tried fumbling with his jeans button anyway. He sat up, pulling me with him and we finally managed to toss my shirt away.

"Abbie," He groaned, clutching me to him. "God, you are so perfect." He twisted us back over so that he was on top again and buried his face in my neck. "I can't wait until you're my wife." His lips were everywhere, his hands touching everything. "Until you have my name."

"I love you." I managed to get out. "I love you like crazy. You're never getting rid of me." I said, pulling his face back to mine and kissing him as deep as I could.

"Now take off your pants."


End file.
